Breakdown of De vissen hebben wat zuurstof nodig.
hebben
to have
nodig
needed
de vis
the fish
wat
something / some (a little)
de zuurstof
the oxygen
Questions & Answers about De vissen hebben wat zuurstof nodig.
Why is wat used here instead of een beetje?
In this sentence, wat acts as an unstressed, shorter way to say een beetje (a little) or 'some'. It is perfectly normal in everyday Dutch to use wat directly before an uncountable noun like zuurstof (oxygen).
Can I use iets instead of wat here?
No. While wat and iets can both mean 'something' in other contexts, only wat (or een beetje) can be used directly in front of a noun to mean 'a little' or 'some'. Saying iets zuurstof is incorrect.
Why are hebben and nodig separated?
The Dutch phrase for 'to need' is nodig hebben. Because it acts like a separable verb, the conjugated verb (hebben) takes the second position in the main clause, while nodig gets pushed all the way to the end of the sentence.
What makes up the word zuurstof?
It is a compound word made of zuur (sour or acid) and stof (dust or matter). Together, this 'acid-matter' is the Dutch word for oxygen!
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