Breakdown of Ik wilde er gisteren verzorgd uitzien, want het uiterlijk is belangrijk.
ik
I
zijn
to be
willen
to want
want
because
belangrijk
important
gisteren
yesterday
eruitzien
to look (like)
verzorgd
well-groomed
het uiterlijk
the appearance
Questions & Answers about Ik wilde er gisteren verzorgd uitzien, want het uiterlijk is belangrijk.
Why are er and uitzien separated when the dictionary form is eruitzien?
Because of the modal verb wilde, the main verb has to go to the end of the clause. However, the intrinsic er in these types of verbs acts like a little pronoun and wants to stay near the beginning, usually right after the finite verb or subject. So er stays up front, and only uitzien gets pushed to the end.
Why does verzorgd come after gisteren?
Dutch generally follows the Time-Manner-Place rule. gisteren tells us the time, and verzorgd tells us the manner, or how you wanted to look. Since uitzien must sit at the very end of the clause, verzorgd naturally falls right between the time and the final verb.
If I replace want with omdat, does the sentence change?
Yes, the word order in the second clause would change. The word want means because, and it keeps the normal word order in the phrase het uiterlijk is belangrijk. If you use omdat, it pushes the verb to the end, making it omdat het uiterlijk belangrijk is.
What kind of word is verzorgd in this sentence?
It is used as an adjective here, meaning well-groomed or neat. It actually comes from the past participle of the verb verzorgen, which means to care for or look after. When you look as if you have been well taken care of, you look verzorgd.
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