Breakdown of Het niveau is pittig, wat een probleem is.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
het probleem
the problem
wat
that / which (relative)
Questions & Answers about Het niveau is pittig, wat een probleem is.
Doesn't pittig usually mean 'spicy'?
Yes, when talking about food, pittig means spicy. But in everyday Dutch, it is very commonly used to describe tasks, exams, or situations as 'tough', 'challenging', or 'intense'. It sounds a bit more descriptive than just using moeilijk (difficult).
Why do we use wat here for 'which' instead of dat?
We use wat because it refers back to the entire previous clause (the fact that the level is tough). If you were referring back to a specific neuter noun, you would use dat, but because the 'problem' here is the whole situation, you must use wat.
Why is the second is placed at the very end of the sentence?
The word wat introduces a relative clause, which follows the same word order rules as a standard subclause. This means the conjugated verb (is) gets pushed all the way to the end of its clause.
How do I know to use het with niveau?
Niveau is a loanword from French. In Dutch, many French loanwords ending in a vowel sound (like het bureau or het cadeau) take the neuter het article. It is a helpful pattern to remember, even though you still have to memorize it!