Breakdown of Volgens de deskundige is dit water niet veilig.
zijn
to be
niet
not
het water
the water
dit
this (neuter)
veilig
safe
volgens
according to
de deskundige
the expert
Questions & Answers about Volgens de deskundige is dit water niet veilig.
What is the exact function of volgens in this sentence?
Volgens translates to "according to" and shows the source of information or an opinion. In this sentence, it tells us that de deskundige (the expert) is the source of the claim about the water.
Why does the verb is come before the subject dit water?
This is because of the Dutch verb-second (V2) rule. The sentence starts with the phrase Volgens de deskundige, which takes up the first position. The verb is must be in the second position, so the subject dit water gets pushed behind it.
Is deskundige a noun or an adjective here?
It acts as a noun meaning "the expert", but it comes from the adjective deskundig (knowledgeable/expert). Adding an -e to an adjective is a common way in Dutch to create a noun that refers to a person.
Why is it dit water and not deze water?
Water is a neuter noun (a het-word). When you want to say "this" with a singular het-word, you must use dit. You only use deze with de-words or plurals.
Why is niet placed right before veilig?
When niet negates a specific adjective (in this case, veilig), it is placed immediately in front of that adjective.
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