Breakdown of De mist was hevig, zodat wij de weg niet konden zien.
zijn
to be
niet
not
wij
we
zien
to see
kunnen
can
weg
away, gone
zodat
so that
hevig
severe
de mist
the fog
Questions & Answers about De mist was hevig, zodat wij de weg niet konden zien.
Why are both verbs (konden and zien) pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word zodat (so that) is a subordinating conjunction. Just like the word tenzij (unless) from this lesson, it introduces a subclause. In Dutch subclauses, all verbs are sent to the very end.
Since the verbs are at the end, how do I know whether to write konden zien or zien konden?
When you have a helper verb (like the past tense modal konden, meaning could) and an infinitive (zien, meaning to see) grouped at the end of a sentence, the conjugated helper verb usually comes first. While you might occasionally see them swapped in written Dutch, konden zien is the standard and safest order to learn.
Why is niet placed after de weg but before the verbs?
The word niet negates the action of seeing the road, and the rule is that niet comes after a specific direct object (like de weg). Because the subclause pushed all the verbs to the end of the sentence, niet stays in its normal position, which ends up being right in front of the verbs.
Is hevig the most common word to describe bad fog?
Hevig (severe, intense, heavy) is perfectly fine here and often used for extreme weather like heavy rain (hevige regen). However, it is even more common in Dutch to describe thick fog as dense: dichte mist.
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