Breakdown of Alles wat u zegt, fascineert mij.
u
you (formal)
zeggen
to say
mij
me
alles
everything
wat
that / which (relative)
fascineren
to fascinate
Questions & Answers about Alles wat u zegt, fascineert mij.
Why do we use wat here instead of dat or die for "that"?
In Dutch, when you refer back to an indefinite word like alles (everything), iets (something), or niets (nothing), you must use wat as the relative pronoun. You cannot use dat or die after these specific words.
Why is the word order u zegt instead of zegt u?
Because wat u zegt is a relative clause, which functions as a subclause. In Dutch subclauses, verbs are pushed to the end. Therefore, the subject u comes first, followed by the verb zegt.
Why is there a comma before fascineert?
The comma marks the end of the relative clause (wat u zegt). The entire block Alles wat u zegt is actually the subject of the main sentence. Because the subject contains its own verb (zegt), a comma is used to clearly separate it from the main verb (fascineert).
Could I use me instead of mij in this sentence?
Yes, you can. mij is the stressed form, which puts a little extra emphasis on the fact that it fascinates you specifically. If you just want to state the fact without that extra emphasis, the unstressed form me is perfectly fine.
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