Breakdown of Hun aanpak is nieuw, wat iedereen opvalt.
zijn
to be
hun
their
nieuw
new
iedereen
everyone
wat
that / which (relative)
de aanpak
the approach
opvallen
to stand out / to be noticeable
Questions & Answers about Hun aanpak is nieuw, wat iedereen opvalt.
Why do we use wat here instead of die or dat?
We use wat because it refers back to the entire previous situation (Hun aanpak is nieuw). When a relative pronoun refers to a whole clause rather than a specific noun, you must use wat.
Is iedereen the subject of the second clause?
No, wat is the subject. The verb opvallen means to stand out. In Dutch, the thing that is noticed is the subject, and the person who notices is the object. So literally, the second half means which stands out to everyone.
Why is the verb opvalt at the very end of the sentence?
The word wat introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb is always pushed to the very end.
Is opvalt a separable verb? Why isn't it split into valt ... op here?
Yes, the full verb is opvallen. In a normal main clause, it splits (for example, Het valt iedereen op). However, because this is a subordinate clause, the verb moves to the end and the prefix op stays attached to the verb.
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