Breakdown of De dirigent is niet alleen streng, maar hij is ook erg talentvol.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
niet
not
maar
but
erg
very / really
streng
strict
alleen
alone; only
de dirigent
the conductor (music)
talentvol
talented
Questions & Answers about De dirigent is niet alleen streng, maar hij is ook erg talentvol.
How does the structure niet alleen ... maar ... ook work here?
They are paired conjunctions meaning "not only" and "but also". Just like in English, they are used together to emphasize that both statements are true. Here, they connect two qualities of the conductor: he is streng (strict) and talentvol (talented).
Why is the word order maar hij is instead of reversing the verb and subject?
The word maar (but) is a coordinating conjunction. That means it glues two normal sentences together without changing the word order in the second half. Because of this, the second part keeps the standard subject-verb order: hij is.
Why are maar and ook separated by hij is?
When you start a full new clause after maar with its own subject and verb (hij is), the word ook (also) doesn't sit right next to maar. Instead, ook goes in its normal spot for short adverbs, which is right after the verb.
I've learned that erg means "terrible". Why is it used with talentvol?
While erg can mean "terrible" or "bad" as a standalone adjective, here it is used as an adverb right before talentvol (talented). In this position, it acts as an intensifier and simply means "very" or "really".
Learn De dirigent is niet alleen streng, maar hij is ook erg talentvol 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