Breakdown of Ben je wat verkouden, want je hoest om de minuut?
zijn
to be
de minuut
the minute
want
because
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
wat
something / some (a little)
om de
every (at intervals)
verkouden
having a cold
hoesten
to cough
Questions & Answers about Ben je wat verkouden, want je hoest om de minuut?
How is wat being used here instead of a word like iets?
In this sentence, wat is acting as an adverb of degree meaning "somewhat" or "a little bit." It softens the adjective verkouden. You will often hear Dutch speakers use wat exactly like een beetje, so asking Ben je een beetje verkouden? would mean the exact same thing.
Why does the Dutch sentence use Ben je (Are you) instead of "Do you have" for a cold?
In English, "a cold" is a noun, so you have it. In Dutch, verkouden is an adjective, so you are it. If you literally translate it, you are saying "Are you a little colded?" Remember not to confuse this with feeling physically cold due to the temperature, which is het koud hebben (e.g., Ik heb het koud).
Why doesn't the verb move to the end of the sentence after want?
Want (because) is a coordinating conjunction, meaning it connects two normal, independent sentences together. Because of this, the word order in the second half stays exactly the same as a regular sentence: Subject (je) + Verb (hoest). If you used omdat (which also means "because"), the verb would get kicked to the end: ...omdat je om de minuut hoest.
What exactly does om de minuut mean? Could I just say elke minuut?
Om de is a fixed, very common expression for frequency. Here, om de minuut means "every minute." You could say elke minuut, but om de minuut is highly idiomatic. Watch out though: with larger blocks of time, like days or weeks, om de usually means "every other" (e.g., om de dag means "every other day").
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