Breakdown of Het is absurd hoeveel de drankjes hier kosten.
zijn
to be
hier
here
het drankje
the drink
het
it
hoeveel
how much / how many
kosten
to cost
absurd
absurd
Questions & Answers about Het is absurd hoeveel de drankjes hier kosten.
Since the current lesson covers the word wat after superlatives, why isn't wat used here?
The word absurd is just a normal adjective here, not a superlative like het absurdste (the most absurd). Instead of a relative clause, this sentence uses hoeveel to introduce an indirect question. If you wanted to say 'It is the most absurd thing that I have seen,' then you would use your lesson's target grammar: Het is het absurdste wat ik heb gezien.
Why is the verb kosten placed at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase hoeveel de drankjes hier kosten is an indirect question. Indirect questions act as subordinate clauses in Dutch, which means the working verb (kosten) gets pushed to the end of the clause. If it were a direct question, the verb would come right after the question word: Hoeveel kosten de drankjes hier?
Why use the diminutive drankjes instead of the regular plural dranken?
While dranken translates to 'beverages' in a broad or formal sense, Dutch speakers almost always use the diminutive plural drankjes when talking about individual servings you order at a bar, restaurant, or party.
Does hoeveel mean 'how much' or 'how many' in this sentence?
It means 'how much' here, because it refers to the cost. However, it is a great B1 refresher to remember that Dutch uses hoeveel for both 'how much' (uncountable things like money) and 'how many' (countable things like people or drinks).
Learn Het is absurd hoeveel de drankjes hier kosten and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free