Breakdown of Wij eten minder vet, zodat we afvallen.
wij
we
eten
to eat
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
minder
less / fewer
afvallen
to lose weight
zodat
so that
het vet
the fat
Questions & Answers about Wij eten minder vet, zodat we afvallen.
How does zodat affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?
Zodat (so that) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and pushes the verb to the very end of that clause. That is why the verb afvallen comes after the subject we, rather than right next to it.
Isn't afvallen (to lose weight) a separable verb? Why isn't it split up here?
You are right, it is a separable verb! In a normal main clause, you would split it (for example: Wij vallen af). However, because zodat pushes the verb to the end of the clause, the two parts of the separable verb get pushed into the exact same spot and merge back together into a single word: afvallen.
What is the base word for minder (less)?
Minder is the comparative form of weinig (little / few). Just like in English where "little" becomes "less", in Dutch weinig vet (little fat) becomes minder vet (less fat).
Could I use dus (so) instead of zodat (so that) here?
You could, but it changes both the grammar and the exact meaning. Zodat emphasizes your purpose (we eat less fat in order to lose weight) and sends the verb to the end. Dus means "therefore" (we eat less fat, therefore we are losing weight) and would trigger a different word order: ..., dus vallen we af.
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