Breakdown of Zij schijnen erg enthousiast te zijn over dit project.
zijn
to be
zij
they
erg
very / really
het project
the project
dit
this (neuter)
over
about
te
to (infinitive marker)
schijnen
to seem / be said to (hearsay)
enthousiast
enthusiastic
Questions & Answers about Zij schijnen erg enthousiast te zijn over dit project.
Why does the translation use "are said to be" instead of just "seem"?
The verb schijnen specifically implies hearsay, meaning you have heard from others or the grapevine that they are enthusiastic. If you used lijken (to appear/seem), it would mean you are guessing this based on your own direct observation of them.
Why do we need the word te before zijn in this sentence?
The verbs schijnen, lijken, and blijken are often used with an infinitive to say what someone "seems to" or "turns out to" do. Just like in English, this construction requires te (to) before the infinitive verb at the end of the sentence.
Doesn't the word erg usually mean "bad" or "terrible"?
It does when used on its own as a descriptive adjective, but when placed before another adjective like enthousiast, erg acts as an intensifier that simply means "very". In this context, it is completely interchangeable with heel.
Is over the standard preposition to use with enthousiast?
Yes! In Dutch, you are typically enthousiast over (enthusiastic about) something. Learning which prepositions are fixed to certain adjectives is a very helpful habit at this level.
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