Breakdown of Die oude schutting was echt lelijk, of niet?
zijn
to be
niet
not
oud
old
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
of
or
echt
real; really (genuinely)
lelijk
ugly
de schutting
the fence (solid, for privacy)
Questions & Answers about Die oude schutting was echt lelijk, of niet?
How does of niet compare to hè or toch at the end of this sentence?
Of niet literally translates to "or not," but here it acts just like the English tag "wasn't it?" or "right?". While you could use hè? or , toch? to ask for confirmation, of niet? is very common in spoken Dutch when sharing a strong opinion (like the fence being ugly) and you fully expect the other person to agree with you.
Why does oude get an -e at the end, but lelijk doesn't?
Oude is placed directly in front of the noun it describes (schutting). Because schutting is a de-word and follows die, the adjective gets the standard -e ending. Lelijk, on the other hand, comes after the verb was. Adjectives that stand alone later in the sentence like this never get an -e.
Why is die used for "that" instead of dat?
Schutting (fence) is a de-word. To say "this" or "that" with a de-word, you must use deze or die. If it were a het-word, you would use dat, for example: dat oude huis (that old house).
Is a schutting any type of fence?
Not exactly. A schutting specifically refers to a tall, solid board fence or partition, usually placed between backyards for privacy. A more open or low fence, like a wire fence or a farm gate, is usually called a hek.
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