Breakdown of Er is niets wat merkwaardig is aan zijn standpunt.
zijn
his
er
there (existential)
niets
nothing
wat
that / which (relative)
Questions & Answers about Er is niets wat merkwaardig is aan zijn standpunt.
Why do we use wat here instead of dat or die for "that"?
In Dutch, when you refer back to indefinite words like alles (everything), iets (something), or in this case niets (nothing), you must use the relative pronoun wat. If you were referring to a specific "het" word, you would use dat, but for these broad, non-specific words, wat is always the correct choice.
Why is the verb is placed after merkwaardig?
The phrase wat merkwaardig is is a relative clause. In Dutch, relative clauses send their verbs to the end of the clause. Therefore, the verb is moves to the end of its specific clause, before the sentence continues with aan zijn standpunt.
Why is the preposition aan used here for "about"?
Prepositions rarely translate one-to-one. When you want to say there is something (or nothing) noticeable, strange, or remarkable "about" a person or an idea, Dutch usually uses aan. You can think of it as the remarkable traits being attached "to" his point of view.
Is the word merkwaardig related to the English word "worthy"?
Yes, it is formed from merk (from merken, meaning to notice or mark) and waardig (meaning worthy). So it literally means "worthy of noticing." It is a very common Dutch word for remarkable, curious, or peculiar.