Breakdown of De dierenarts controleert het gewicht. Het dier is namelijk te zwaar.
zijn
to be
het dier
the animal
te
too
zwaar
heavy / severe (of a punishment) / tough, hard
Questions & Answers about De dierenarts controleert het gewicht. Het dier is namelijk te zwaar.
How does namelijk work in this sentence?
In this sentence, namelijk acts as an explanatory adverb. It links the second sentence back to the first one by providing the reason for the vet's action. English doesn't have an exact equivalent that sits in the middle of a clause like this, but it translates well to adding "you see" at the end or starting the thought with "because".
Why is namelijk placed in the middle of the sentence instead of the beginning?
As an explanatory adverb, namelijk typically goes in the "middle field" of a main clause, right after the conjugated verb (is). If you placed it at the very beginning of the sentence, it would force the subject and verb to invert, but native speakers rarely start a sentence with namelijk when giving a reason.
Could I use want or omdat to express this instead?
Yes, but you would combine the two sentences into one. You could say ...gewicht, want het dier is te zwaar (using regular word order) or ...gewicht, omdat het dier te zwaar is (pushing the verb to the end). Starting a fresh sentence with namelijk is simply a very natural, alternative way to explain a reason in Dutch.
Why does the sentence use het dier but de dierenarts?