Breakdown of Waarmee knip jij het papier?
jij
you
waarmee
with what
het papier
the paper
knippen
to cut (with scissors)
Questions & Answers about Waarmee knip jij het papier?
Why do we use waarmee instead of met wat to mean "with what"?
In Dutch, when you combine a preposition (like met) with the word wat to ask about a thing, they merge. The word wat turns into waar-, and the two words stick together to form a single question word: waarmee.
Why does the preposition met change to mee inside waarmee?
This is a special rule for the preposition met. Whenever it attaches to a word like waar, hier, or daar, it always changes its form to mee.
Could I split waarmee up in this sentence?
Yes! You can also say Waar knip jij het papier mee?. In Dutch, it is very common to split these waar-words. You leave waar at the beginning of the question and move the preposition part (mee) to the end of the sentence.
Why use the verb knip here instead of snijd for "cut"?
Dutch uses different verbs depending on the tool you are using. Knippen is specifically used for cutting with scissors (een schaar). If you were cutting the paper with a knife, you would use the verb snijden.