Breakdown of Jij verbaast je erg over het nieuws.
jij
you
erg
very / really
het nieuws
the news
over
about
zich verbazen
to be surprised
Questions & Answers about Jij verbaast je erg over het nieuws.
Why do we use both Jij and je right next to each other here?
Jij is the emphasized subject of the sentence (you), and je is the reflexive pronoun (yourself). Because zich verbazen is a reflexive verb, it always needs a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject.
Why does Dutch use an active verb when the English translation says "are surprised"?
In English, "surprised" acts like an adjective describing how you feel. In Dutch, zich verbazen is an action you do to yourself. Literally, this sentence translates to "You surprise yourself very much about the news."
How do I know to use the preposition over for "about"?
The verb zich verbazen forms a fixed combination with the preposition over. Just like English has fixed phrases, whenever you are surprised about something in Dutch, you must learn and use the set phrase zich verbazen over.
Could I use the unstressed je for the subject instead of jij?
Yes! If you don't need to put special emphasis on the "you", you can just use je for both the subject and the reflexive pronoun. It is perfectly normal to say: Je verbaast je erg over het nieuws.
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