Breakdown of Hij schijnt arrogant te zijn, maar hij is eigenlijk heel lief.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
maar
but
heel
very
te
to (infinitive marker)
lief
sweet (kind, dear)
eigenlijk
actually
schijnen
to seem / be said to (hearsay)
arrogant
arrogant
Questions & Answers about Hij schijnt arrogant te zijn, maar hij is eigenlijk heel lief.
Why is schijnt translated as 'is rumored to' instead of just 'seems'?
The verb schijnen specifically implies that an impression is based on hearsay or what other people say. If you used lijkt (from lijken) here, it would mean he appears arrogant based on your own direct observation. Using schijnt means you have just heard from others that he is arrogant.
Why do we need te zijn here? Could I just say Hij schijnt arrogant?
You need te zijn (to be) here. When verbs like schijnen, lijken, and blijken are followed by a descriptive adjective like arrogant, they use the te + infinitive construction. It translates literally to 'He is rumored to be arrogant.'
Is eigenlijk a false friend for English speakers?
Not exactly, but it is related to one! Eigenlijk correctly translates to 'actually' or 'in reality' in this sentence. The false friend to watch out for is the Dutch word actueel, which means 'current' or 'topical', not 'actual'.
Why isn't the word order inverted after maar?
The word maar (but) is a coordinating conjunction. This means it connects two normal, independent sentences without changing the word order. In the second half of the sentence, the subject (hij) comes first, followed directly by the verb (is).
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