Breakdown of De situatie is gevaarlijk, want het onbekende maakt mensen bang.
zijn
to be
maken
to make
bang
scared
het
it
Questions & Answers about De situatie is gevaarlijk, want het onbekende maakt mensen bang.
Why do we use het and add an -e to make het onbekende?
This is how you turn an adjective into an abstract concept in Dutch! By combining het and the -e suffix with the adjective onbekend (unknown), you create the abstract noun "the unknown". If you used de instead (de onbekende), it would refer to a specific unknown person, like "the stranger".
Why doesn't want push the verb maakt to the end of the sentence?
want (because) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it introduces a normal main clause where the verb stays in the second position. If you used the other word for "because" (omdat), it introduces a subclause and would push the verb to the end: ...omdat het onbekende mensen bang maakt.
Why is bang (afraid) at the very end of the sentence?
In Dutch, a word that describes the result of an action often goes to the end of the clause. The phrase here is bang maken (to make afraid / to scare). The conjugated verb maakt takes the second position, while the result adjective bang acts a lot like the prefix of a separable verb and waits at the end of the clause.
Why is there no article before mensen?