Breakdown of Zij plakt het behang zelf op de muur.
zij
she
op
on
zelf
yourself / oneself (emphatic)
de muur
the wall
plakken
to stick
het behang
the wallpaper
Questions & Answers about Zij plakt het behang zelf op de muur.
Why do we use zelf here instead of alleen?
The word zelf means 'herself'. It emphasizes that she is doing the work personally, rather than having someone else do it for her. If we used alleen, the sentence would mean she is doing it 'alone', meaning without anyone else around to keep her company or help.
Why is zelf placed after het behang?
In Dutch, zelf typically goes after a specific direct object like het behang (the wallpaper). You cannot put it immediately after the subject like you can in English ('She herself...'). It is placed after the object but before the prepositional phrase op de muur.
Why does the sentence start with Zij instead of the unstressed Ze?
Zij is the stressed, emphatic form of 'she'. Because the sentence specifically points out that she is doing the action herself (zelf), it is very natural to use the stressed pronoun Zij to put extra focus on exactly who is doing the work.
Is op a separable prefix here, like from the verb opplakken?
In this specific sentence, no. Here, op is just a preposition meaning 'on', and it belongs to de muur (on the wall). The verb is just plakken (to stick). However, Dutch does have the separable verb opplakken (to stick on). If you didn't mention the wall at all, you would use it and say Zij plakt het behang zelf op.
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