Breakdown of Het weer is in april tamelijk wisselvallig en wat koud.
zijn
to be
en
and
in
in
het weer
the weather
Questions & Answers about Het weer is in april tamelijk wisselvallig en wat koud.
How does wat work here? Doesn't it usually mean 'what'?
While wat is the question word for 'what', it is also frequently used as an adverb meaning 'somewhat' or 'a little'. Here, it modifies the adjective koud to soften it, just like saying 'a bit cold' in English.
Could I use een beetje instead of wat koud?
Yes, you could substitute it and say ...en een beetje koud. Both wat and een beetje are commonly used to mean 'a little' or 'somewhat' when modifying adjectives. Wat can sound slightly shorter and more conversational, but they do exactly the same job here.
What exactly does wisselvallig mean, and is it only used for weather?
Wisselvallig comes from wisselen (to change or switch), meaning 'changeable', 'unpredictable', or 'variable'. It is extremely common for talking about the weather, but you can also use it to describe someone's moods, a weak economy, or unpredictable sports results.
Why is in april placed before tamelijk wisselvallig?
This follows the standard Dutch word order rule of 'Time before Manner before Place'. The phrase in april tells us when (Time), so it comes before the adjectives tamelijk wisselvallig en wat koud, which act as the description of how the weather is (Manner).