Breakdown of De jongen drinkt water, zodat hij meer energie heeft.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
de jongen
the boy
hebben
to have
drinken
to drink
het water
the water
meer
more
zodat
so that
de energie
the energy
Questions & Answers about De jongen drinkt water, zodat hij meer energie heeft.
Why is the verb heeft at the very end of the sentence?
The word zodat (so that) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a sub-clause, which forces the conjugated verb (heeft) to the very end of that clause. So instead of the normal word order hij heeft meer energie, it becomes zodat hij meer energie heeft.
What is the difference between zodat and dus? Could I use dus here?
Zodat means "so that" and shows the purpose or intended result of an action. Dus means "so" or "therefore". If you used dus, the word order would change because dus does not push the verb to the end (...dus hij heeft meer energie), but it changes the meaning from "in order to have more energy" to "therefore he has more energy."
Do I always need a comma before zodat?
Yes, it is standard practice in Dutch to put a comma before zodat when it connects two complete clauses. It helps visually separate the main action (drinking water) from the intended result (having more energy).
Is meer energie related to veel energie?
Exactly! Meer is the comparative form of veel (much/a lot). Just like in English where "much energy" becomes "more energy," in Dutch veel energie becomes meer energie.
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