Breakdown of Die planeet bestaat niet, want wij zien niets.
niet
not
wij
we
zien
to see
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
want
because
niets
nothing
de planeet
the planet
bestaan
to exist
Questions & Answers about Die planeet bestaat niet, want wij zien niets.
Why does niet go at the very end of the first clause?
In a standard Dutch main clause, the negator niet (not) usually goes as far to the end of the sentence as possible, but it must come after the main conjugated verb. Since the first clause (Die planeet bestaat) only consists of a subject and a verb, niet simply takes the final spot.
What is the difference between niet and niets in this sentence?
Niet translates to "not" and is used to negate the verb bestaat (does not exist). Niets, on the other hand, is a pronoun meaning "nothing". It acts as the direct object of the second clause: we see nothing.
Why doesn't the verb go to the end of the sentence after want (because)?
There are two common words for "because" in Dutch: want and omdat. You are likely remembering the rule for omdat, which forces the verb to the very end of its clause. However, want is a coordinating conjunction (like en or maar). It just glues two normal main clauses together side-by-side, so the word order in wij zien niets (Subject + Verb + Object) stays exactly like a normal, independent sentence.
Why is it die planeet and not dat planeet?
Planeet is a de-word (de planeet). In Dutch, when you want to say "that" with a de-word, you must use die. You only use dat for het-words, like dat huis (that house) or dat boek (that book).
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