Breakdown of De infrastructuur in de stad wordt steeds beter.
in
in
de stad
the city
worden
to become
beter
better
steeds
again and again, constantly / still (in 'nog steeds')
de infrastructuur
the infrastructure
Questions & Answers about De infrastructuur in de stad wordt steeds beter.
Why doesn't Dutch say beter en beter to match "better and better"?
In English, we repeat the comparative adjective to show progressive change. In Dutch, doing that sounds unnatural. Instead, you use steeds followed by a single comparative adjective. The phrase steeds beter literally means "constantly better" and gets the job done perfectly.
Doesn't steeds normally mean "always" or "still"?
Yes, on its own steeds often means "always" or "every time", and nog steeds means "still". However, when placed right before a comparative like beter, its meaning shifts to "increasingly". It turns a static comparison into an ongoing process.
Why is wordt used here instead of a literal translation of "is getting"?
The verb worden means "to become" or "to get" when talking about a change in state. Dutch doesn't use a continuous form with "to be" here; the simple present tense wordt naturally implies the ongoing process of the infrastructure improving.
Does steeds beter have to go at the very end of the sentence?
Yes, in this main clause, wordt is the conjugated verb and must stay in the second position. The phrase steeds beter acts as the adjective phrase describing the subject (De infrastructuur), so it naturally belongs at the end of the sentence here.
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