Breakdown of Noch hij noch zij bezit overbodige dingen.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zij
she
het ding
the thing
noch
neither / nor
Questions & Answers about Noch hij noch zij bezit overbodige dingen.
Why is the verb bezit singular when the sentence talks about two people?
Even though we are talking about both he and she, noch ... noch (neither ... nor) separates them rather than grouping them together like en (and) would. Since the subject closest to the verb (zij) is singular, the verb takes the singular form bezit.
Does starting the sentence with noch change the word order?
Not in this case. The whole phrase Noch hij noch zij acts as the subject and occupies the first position in the sentence. The verb bezit simply takes its normal second position. You only see word order inversion if noch acts as a conjunction starting a brand new clause.
Why is there an -e added to the end of overbodig?
The adjective overbodig (superfluous) gets an -e ending because it modifies dingen (things), which is a plural noun. In Dutch, adjectives placed directly before a plural noun always get an -e ending.
Do Dutch speakers use noch ... noch often in everyday speech?
It is understood by everyone, but noch ... noch can sound a bit formal or written. In casual spoken Dutch, you will often hear people rephrase it using standard negatives, like Hij bezit geen overbodige dingen, en zij ook niet (He owns no superfluous things, and neither does she). However, mastering it is a key B1 skill for reading and more formal writing.