Word
Zelfs de kampioen was niet blij met deze score.
Meaning
Even the champion was not happy with this score.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Zelfs de kampioen was niet blij met deze score.
Why is there no word order inversion after starting the sentence with Zelfs?
Normally, starting a Dutch sentence with anything other than the subject causes inversion (the verb jumps in front of the subject). However, focus adverbs like zelfs attach directly to the noun they emphasize. Here, Zelfs de kampioen forms one complete subject block. Because the subject is still in position 1, the verb was stays in position 2, so no inversion is needed.
Could I move zelfs to the middle of the sentence?
Yes, but it changes the meaning! A focus adverb emphasizes the concept it is placed next to. Zelfs de kampioen means even the champion wasn't happy (emphasizing the surprising person). If you wrote De kampioen was zelfs niet blij, it means the champion wasn't even happy (emphasizing the surprising emotion).
Why is niet placed directly before blij?
When you want to negate a specific adjective in a sentence, niet usually goes right in front of it. By placing niet immediately before blij, it makes it clear that the negation applies specifically to his mood (he was not happy).
Why do we use deze instead of dit for 'this score'?