Breakdown of Het kantoor waarin de makelaar werkt, is erg ruim.
zijn
to be
werken
to work
erg
very / really
het kantoor
the office
de makelaar
the real estate agent
waarin
in which
ruim
spacious
Questions & Answers about Het kantoor waarin de makelaar werkt, is erg ruim.
Why is it waarin instead of something like in welk or dat in?
In Dutch, when a relative clause refers to a thing (like het kantoor) and involves a preposition (like in), you combine waar with the preposition. So, the English 'in which' or 'that... in' becomes one word: waarin. You cannot use normal relative pronouns like dat or welk directly after a preposition when talking about inanimate objects.
Why are there two verbs right next to each other (werkt, is)?
This happens because a descriptive part (the relative clause) is inserted right into the middle of the main sentence. The main sentence is Het kantoor is erg ruim. The relative clause is waarin de makelaar werkt. Because relative clauses always send their verb (werkt) to the very end, it bumps right up against the verb of the main sentence (is). The comma is there to help you see where the descriptive part ends!
In English, we say 'the office the agent works in' without a connecting word. Can I drop waarin in Dutch?
No, Dutch is strict about this! You can never drop the connecting relative words in Dutch, even though it is perfectly normal to leave out 'that' or 'which' in English. You must include waarin to connect the two parts of the sentence.
Does erg mean the same thing as heel here?
Yes! Both erg and heel can mean 'very' when they are placed in front of an adjective. So, erg ruim and heel ruim both mean 'very spacious', and they are completely interchangeable in this context.
Learn Het kantoor waarin de makelaar werkt, is erg ruim and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free