Breakdown of Het koraal gebruikt ook wat zuurstof.
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
gebruiken
to use
wat
something / some (a little)
de zuurstof
the oxygen
het koraal
the coral
Questions & Answers about Het koraal gebruikt ook wat zuurstof.
Why does the sentence use wat instead of een beetje?
Wat is often used as a shorter, unstressed alternative to een beetje (a little) or iets (some). Before an uncountable noun like zuurstof, it translates naturally to "some" or "a little" oxygen.
Could this sentence mean "The coral also uses what oxygen?"
No, because wat isn't acting as a question word here. When placed right before a noun in a normal declarative sentence, wat almost always acts as an indefinite pronoun meaning "some" or "a little."
Why does ook come before wat zuurstof in the sentence?
In Dutch, the adverb ook (also) generally comes before indefinite objects. Because wat zuurstof refers to an unspecified amount of oxygen, it is indefinite, so ook is placed right in front of it.
What does the word zuurstof literally mean?
It is a compound of zuur (sour/acid) and stof (substance/matter/dust). Literally meaning "acid substance," it's the Dutch word for oxygen. Like in English, it is an uncountable noun, which is why pairing it with wat works so well.
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