Breakdown of Het portret is prachtig, dus bewonderen we het.
zijn
to be
het
it
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
dus
so, therefore
prachtig
gorgeous
bewonderen
to admire
het portret
the portrait
Questions & Answers about Het portret is prachtig, dus bewonderen we het.
Why is the word order dus bewonderen we instead of dus we bewonderen?
The word dus (so, therefore) often acts as an adverb. When it sits at the start of a new clause, it takes the first position. Because standard Dutch rule requires the verb in the second position, the verb bewonderen comes before the subject we. You might occasionally hear native speakers say dus we bewonderen, treating it like en or maar, but the inverted word order is the safest standard to follow.
Why do we use het at the very end of the sentence to mean "it"?
The pronoun "it" refers back to het portret. Because portret is a neuter (het) noun, you must use het as the object pronoun. If the noun were a de word, like de foto (the photo), you would use hem instead: De foto is prachtig, dus bewonderen we hem.
Is the verb bewonderen separable?
No, it is an inseparable verb. Verbs starting with unstressed prefixes like be-, ge-, ver-, or ont- are never split. Because of this prefix, it also wouldn't get a ge- added if you used the perfect tense: We hebben het bewonderd (We have admired it).
Could I use daarom instead of dus in this sentence?
Yes, you absolutely could! You could say ..., daarom bewonderen we het. Daarom means "therefore" or "for that reason". Just like dus, it takes the first position in its clause, so it triggers the exact same inverted word order.
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