Breakdown of Je vraagt of de directeur boos is. Integendeel, hij is erg blij!
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
blij
happy
erg
very / really
boos
angry
vragen
to ask
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
of
if / whether
integendeel
on the contrary
de directeur
the director (of a company or school)
Questions & Answers about Je vraagt of de directeur boos is. Integendeel, hij is erg blij!
Why doesn't Integendeel cause the subject and verb to swap?
Integendeel (on the contrary) often acts as a standalone comment. When separated by a comma, it sits outside the main sentence structure. Because of this, the normal subject-verb word order resumes right after it: hij is instead of is hij.
Could I use echter instead of integendeel here?
No, they express different types of contrast. Echter means however and introduces a contrasting fact or exception. Integendeel means on the contrary and is used to completely reject a previous assumption. Since being very happy is the direct opposite of being angry, integendeel is the right choice.
Does of mean or in the first sentence?
Not in this context! While of often translates to or, here it means if or whether. You use it this way to connect an indirect yes/no question to the main sentence, such as Je vraagt of... (You ask whether...).
Why is the verb is placed at the very end of the first sentence?
The word of introduces a subordinate clause (a dependent part of the sentence). In Dutch, subordinate clauses push the working verb all the way to the end, which is why we get of de directeur boos is instead of normal word order.
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