Breakdown of Het enige wat mij stoort, is het lawaai.
zijn
to be
mij
me
het lawaai
the noise (loud, unpleasant)
enig
only
wat
that / which (relative)
storen
to bother / to disturb
Questions & Answers about Het enige wat mij stoort, is het lawaai.
Why do we use wat for "that" instead of dat?
This is a special rule in Dutch. When a relative pronoun refers back to an indefinite word (like alles, iets, or niets) or a phrase like het enige (the only thing), you must use wat instead of dat.
Where is the word for "thing" in het enige?
Dutch often leaves out the word for "thing" when using adjectives as nouns. Enig means "only," and adding an -e turns it into het enige, which means "the only thing." You do not need to say "het enige ding".
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb is?
This is due to the Dutch verb-second rule. The entire first clause, Het enige wat mij stoort (The only thing that bothers me), acts as the subject occupying the first position of the main sentence. Therefore, the main verb is must immediately follow it in the second position.
Why is the verb stoort at the end of the first clause?
Because wat mij stoort is a relative clause, which functions as a subclause. In Dutch subclauses, the conjugated verb (stoort) gets pushed to the end.
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