Word
Ik ben eigenlijk moe.
Meaning
I am actually tired.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Ik ben eigenlijk moe.
How do you pronounce eigenlijk?
The ending -lijk in Dutch is always pronounced like the English word "luck". It is never pronounced the way it is spelled! The first part uses the Dutch "ei" sound, which is similar to the "ay" in "say". Put together, eigenlijk sounds roughly like "EYE-ghen-luck".
Why is eigenlijk in the middle of the sentence?
In a normal Dutch sentence, the verb (here, ben) must be in the second position. Because Ik is in the first position, the adverb eigenlijk has to come after the verb. You could also put Eigenlijk at the start of the sentence to emphasize it, but the verb still has to stay in the second spot: Eigenlijk ben ik moe.
How is eigenlijk used here compared to English?
It means "actually" or "in fact". Just like in English, Dutch speakers use it a lot in everyday speech to soften a statement, politely disagree, or admit something they might have been holding back, like finally admitting they are tired!
How do I pronounce moe?
The Dutch vowel combination oe makes an "oo" sound, just like in the English word "shoe". This means the Dutch word moe sounds exactly like the English word "moo"!