Breakdown of Wij gaan het huis inrichten, maar we hebben niet genoeg geld.
niet
not
het huis
the house
maar
but
wij
we
hebben
to have
het geld
the money
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
genoeg
enough
inrichten
to furnish / to arrange (a space or room)
Questions & Answers about Wij gaan het huis inrichten, maar we hebben niet genoeg geld.
I thought genoeg is supposed to go after the word it modifies. Why is it before geld here?
The rule depends on what you are modifying! When genoeg modifies an adjective or an adverb (like big enough), it comes after the word: groot genoeg. But when it modifies a noun like geld (money), it typically comes before the noun, just like in English: genoeg geld.
Wait, so is it wrong to say geld genoeg?
Not at all! With nouns, genoeg is actually very flexible. You can place it before the noun (genoeg geld) or after the noun (geld genoeg). Both are grammatically correct and very common in everyday Dutch.
Why is it niet genoeg geld and not geen genoeg geld, since geld is an unspecific noun?
inrichten is a separable verb. Why isn't the prefix separated here?
Because it's acting as an infinitive. The first clause uses gaan as an auxiliary verb to show intention or the future tense (gaan ... inrichten). When a separable verb is pushed to the very end of the sentence as a full infinitive, the prefix (in-) stays attached to the main verb (richten) and is written as a single word.
Why doesn't the word order change to put the verb at the end after maar?
Because maar (but) is a coordinating conjunction, not a subordinating one. Conjunctions like en (and), maar (but), and of (or) act like a simple bridge between two main clauses. Therefore, the normal Subject-Verb word order (we hebben) remains exactly the same as if it were a standalone sentence.
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