Breakdown of Zij is zo uitgeput en gestrest dat ze ziek wordt.
zijn
to be
zij
she
en
and
worden
to become
ziek
sick
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
zo
so (to such a degree)
dat
that (conjunction)
uitgeput
exhausted
gestrest
stressed
Questions & Answers about Zij is zo uitgeput en gestrest dat ze ziek wordt.
Why is the verb wordt at the very end of the sentence?
This sentence uses the zo ... dat (so ... that) structure. The word dat (that) acts as a subordinating conjunction, which means it introduces a dependent clause and pushes the verb to the end. That is why we say dat ze ziek wordt instead of dat ze wordt ziek.
The English translation says 'is becoming sick'. Why isn't a continuous form used in Dutch?
While English frequently uses the continuous form ('is becoming') to show a process unfolding right now, Dutch usually sticks to the simple present tense. The verb worden means 'to become' or 'to get', and using the simple present wordt is perfectly natural to express this process. Saying dat ze ziek aan het worden is would sound unnecessarily clunky.
Why is gestrest spelled with only one 's' in the middle, unlike the English word?
Dutch borrowed the English verb 'to stress' as stressen, but conjugates it using standard Dutch spelling rules. When making the past participle, we add ge- and -t. Dutch avoids writing double consonants right before another consonant at the end of a syllable, so the double 's' is simplified, giving us gestrest.
What verb does the adjective uitgeput come from?
It is the past participle of the separable verb uitputten, which means 'to exhaust' or 'to deplete'. Just like in English, Dutch often uses past participles as adjectives to describe how someone is feeling.
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