Breakdown of Omdat de interesse wederzijds is, zijn ze verliefd op elkaar.
zijn
to be
op
on
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
elkaar
each other
Questions & Answers about Omdat de interesse wederzijds is, zijn ze verliefd op elkaar.
Why do we use op elkaar here when the English translation says "with each other"?
In Dutch, the adjective verliefd (in love) is always followed by the fixed preposition op, not met. When you combine it with the reciprocal pronoun elkaar (each other), you simply place the required preposition right before it: verliefd op elkaar.
Why is the word order zijn ze and not ze zijn in the second half of the sentence?
This happens because of the V2 (verb second) rule. The entire first part of the sentence, Omdat de interesse wederzijds is, acts as the first block of information. To keep the main verb in the second position overall, the main clause must immediately start with its verb (zijn), followed by the subject (ze).
Why is the verb is at the very end of the first clause?
The word omdat (because) introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, subordinate clauses push their verbs to the very end of that clause. If we had used the other word for because, want, the word order would stay normal: want de interesse is wederzijds.
The word wederzijds looks a bit tricky. What does it literally mean?
It combines weder (an older word meaning "return" or "again") and zijde (side). Joined together with an -s, it literally means "on both sides", which perfectly translates to "mutual".