Breakdown of Slaapt de concurrent? Integendeel, ze hebben net geïnvesteerd.
hebben
to have
slapen
to sleep
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
net
just / exactly (time / similarity)
investeren
to invest
de concurrent
the competitor
integendeel
on the contrary
Questions & Answers about Slaapt de concurrent? Integendeel, ze hebben net geïnvesteerd.
How do I know when to use integendeel instead of echter or daarentegen?
Integendeel specifically means 'on the contrary'. You use it to completely deny or contradict the previous statement. Here, it rejects the idea that the competitor is inactive. Echter (however) and daarentegen (on the other hand) simply introduce a contrast or a different perspective, rather than a direct contradiction.
Why does the sentence use ze (they) to refer to de concurrent (the competitor), which is singular?
Just like in English, it is very common in Dutch to use the plural pronoun ze (they) when referring to a business, team, or organization, even if the noun itself is singular. The speaker is thinking of the group of people who make up the competing company.
Why does the word geïnvesteerd have two dots on the 'i'?
Those dots are called a 'trema'. In Dutch, when two vowels are next to each other but belong to separate syllables, you add a trema to show where the new syllable starts. Without it, you might try to pronounce 'ei' as a single vowel sound (like in trein), but here it must be pronounced as separate syllables: 'ge-in-ves-teerd'.
Why is the word order ze hebben (subject-verb) instead of inverted after integendeel?
Integendeel often acts as a standalone exclamation, much like ja or nee. Because it is set off by a comma and stands outside the main clause, it doesn't affect the word order of the sentence that follows. Therefore, ze hebben keeps the normal subject-verb order.
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