Breakdown of Een duurzame stad is belangrijk, dus de natuur moet blijven.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
de stad
the city
belangrijk
important
blijven
to stay
moeten
to have to, must
dus
so, therefore
duurzaam
sustainable
de natuur
nature
Questions & Answers about Een duurzame stad is belangrijk, dus de natuur moet blijven.
Why doesn't dus change the word order here?
Dus (so) is a coordinating conjunction, just like en (and) or maar (but). It joins two main sentences together without altering the word order. That's why it is followed by a normal Subject + Verb pattern: dus de natuur moet. If you used an adverb like daarom (therefore), the verb and subject would invert: daarom moet de natuur blijven.
Why is there an -e on duurzame but not on belangrijk?
Duurzaam comes directly before the noun it describes (stad), so it gets an -e ending. (Stad is a de-word, so it gets the -e even after the word een). On the other hand, belangrijk is placed after the verb is. Adjectives in this position never get an -e ending.
Why does the Dutch sentence use de natuur when the English translation is just 'nature'?
In English, we usually leave out 'the' when talking about general concepts like nature, society, or history. In Dutch, these broad concepts generally require their definite article (de or het). Therefore, 'nature' translates to de natuur.
How would I apply this lesson's grammar to say 'an increasingly sustainable city'?
To express that progressive change, you use steeds plus the comparative form of the adjective. 'More sustainable' is duurzamer, so you would say: Een steeds duurzamere stad. Because it is still an adjective placed in front of a noun, it keeps that final -e ending!
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