Breakdown of Ze zeiden toevallig precies hetzelfde.
zeggen
to say
precies
exactly
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
toevallig
coincidentally
Questions & Answers about Ze zeiden toevallig precies hetzelfde.
Why do we use hetzelfde in this sentence instead of dezelfde?
In Dutch, when you want to say 'the same thing' in an abstract way, without referring to a specific noun, you always use hetzelfde. If they had said 'the same sentence' (dezelfde zin), you would use dezelfde because zin is a de-word. Here, it acts as an independent pronoun.
Why is precies placed right before hetzelfde?
Precies (exactly) is an adverb modifying hetzelfde (the same thing). In Dutch, adverbs usually go right before the word they emphasize or describe. That is why precies hetzelfde stays together as a unit at the end of the sentence.
Does toevallig always mean 'coincidentally'?
It means 'coincidentally' or 'by chance' here, but you will also often hear it used in questions to mean 'happen to'. For example, Weet jij dat toevallig? translates to 'Do you happen to know that?'.
Zeiden is the past tense of zeggen (to say). Is it a regular verb?
No, it is irregular. The singular past tense is zei (for example, hij zei). It is a good idea to review its forms: zeggen (infinitive), zei (past singular), zeiden (past plural), and gezegd (past participle).