Breakdown of Het weer is wat wisselvallig, wanneer zal het opklaren?
zijn
to be
het weer
the weather
het
it
wanneer
when
Questions & Answers about Het weer is wat wisselvallig, wanneer zal het opklaren?
Does wat mean 'what' in this sentence?
No, in this context wat is not a question word. It is acting as an adverb meaning 'somewhat' or 'a little', modifying the adjective wisselvallig (changeable). You could also say een beetje wisselvallig, but using wat is a very natural and common way to soften an adjective in Dutch.
How do you break down the word wisselvallig?
It comes from the verb wisselen, which means 'to change' or 'to alternate'. The suffix -vallig is used to describe a tendency or characteristic, similar to how it is used in toevallig (accidental or coincidental). So wisselvallig literally describes something that has a tendency to change frequently.
Why is opklaren placed at the very end of the sentence?
This happens because of the verb zal (will), which is used here to form the future tense. In a Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb (zal) takes the normal second position, but it pushes the main action verb (the infinitive opklaren) to the very end of the clause.
Isn't opklaren a separable verb? Why isn't it separated here?
Yes, it is a separable verb, but you only separate it when it is the active, conjugated verb in a main clause (for example: het klaart op). Because zal is the conjugated verb here, opklaren must stay in its full infinitive form, keeping the prefix op- attached to the front.