Questions & Answers about U bent zo gestrest dat u niet kunt slapen.
How does the zo ... dat structure affect the word order in this sentence?
The word zo (so) modifies gestrest, and dat (that) introduces the result. Because dat starts a subordinate clause, it forces the verbs in that second part of the sentence (kunt slapen) all the way to the end.
Why is niet placed before the verbs here?
In a normal main clause, niet often follows the conjugated verb. However, because dat pushes all the verbs to the end of the subordinate clause, they end up getting moved right past niet.
Is it also correct to say u kan instead of u kunt?
Yes, both u kunt and u kan are grammatically correct in Dutch. However, u kunt is considered slightly more polite and standard, which pairs perfectly with the formal pronoun u.
Why is gestrest spelled with only one 's' when it comes from the English word 'stress'?
Dutch applies its own spelling rules to loanwords. The double 's' is dropped because a double consonant isn't needed at the end of a word to keep the vowel short. It gets the standard past participle prefix ge- and a -t at the end.