Breakdown of Dit product is kapot, en dat is volkomen onacceptabel.
zijn
to be
en
and
dit
this (neuter)
dat
that (het-words)
kapot
broken
het product
the product
volkomen
completely / absolutely (utterly, perfectly)
onacceptabel
unacceptable
Questions & Answers about Dit product is kapot, en dat is volkomen onacceptabel.
The current lesson is about connectors like desondanks that trigger word order inversion. Why doesn't en trigger inversion here?
En (and) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it sits in "position 0" and doesn't count as the first element of the next clause. Because of this, the second clause (dat is volkomen onacceptabel) keeps the normal Subject-Verb order. In contrast, an adverbial connector like desondanks takes up position 1, forcing the subject to come after the verb.
Why do we use dat instead of het in the second part (en dat is...)?
In this sentence, dat (that) doesn't just refer to a specific noun like the product. Instead, it points back to the entire previous situation—the fact that the product is broken. When referring back to a whole idea, event, or previous clause, Dutch always uses dat.
As a quick refresher, why do we say dit product instead of deze product?
Product is a neuter noun (het product). When you want to say "this" with a het-word, you must use dit. You only use deze for de-words and plural nouns.
Are there other common words I could use instead of volkomen here?
Yes! Volkomen is an excellent, slightly formal way to say "completely" or "absolutely." In everyday conversation, you could just as easily use helemaal or compleet to mean the exact same thing (dat is helemaal onacceptabel).
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