Breakdown of Bovendien is het systeem efficiënt en betrouwbaar.
zijn
to be
en
and
bovendien
moreover
het systeem
the system
betrouwbaar
reliable
efficiënt
efficient
Questions & Answers about Bovendien is het systeem efficiënt en betrouwbaar.
Why is the verb is placed before the subject het systeem?
This sentence starts with the adverb bovendien (moreover). In Dutch, the conjugated verb must always be the second element in a main clause (the verb-second or V2 rule). Because bovendien takes the first spot, the verb is must come second, and the subject het systeem is pushed to the third spot.
Can I use bovendien without changing the word order, like I do with en (and)?
No, because bovendien is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction. Words like en or maar sit outside the clause and don't count towards the word order. Because bovendien is an adverb inside the clause, it takes up position 1, which forces the verb and subject to invert.
How can I easily remember the meaning of betrouwbaar?
It helps to break the word down. It relates to the word trouw (loyalty) or the verb vertrouwen (to trust). The suffix -baar is the Dutch equivalent of the English suffix '-able'. So, betrouwbaar literally means 'trustable' or reliable.
Why does the word efficiënt have two dots over the e?
Those two dots are called a trema, and they tell you to start a new syllable. Without them, you would read the ie in efficiënt as a single long 'ee' sound (like in the word bier). The trema forces you to pronounce the i and the e separately.
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