Breakdown of De temperatuur in de kamer daalt wat.
in
in
de kamer
the room
wat
something / some (a little)
dalen
to decrease
de temperatuur
the temperature
Questions & Answers about De temperatuur in de kamer daalt wat.
Wait, doesn't wat normally mean "what"? How is it used here?
Yes, wat is the question word for "what". But here, it acts as an indefinite pronoun meaning "a little" or "somewhat". It is used as an unstressed, shorter alternative to saying een beetje or iets. It tells us the temperature is dropping a little bit.
Could I just use een beetje instead of wat in this sentence?
Absolutely. You could say De temperatuur in de kamer daalt een beetje. Native speakers use wat all the time because it's quicker and sounds very casual and natural for expressing "a bit" or "slightly".
What is the infinitive of daalt, and when is it typically used?
The infinitive is dalen (to fall, drop, or decrease). It is the standard Dutch verb to use when measurable things like temperatures, prices, or numbers go down. Its exact opposite is stijgen (to rise or increase).
Why does wat go at the very end of the sentence?
In this sentence, wat functions as an adverb of degree modifying the verb daalt (it tells us how much it is dropping). In a simple main clause like this, that pushes it right after the verb, which happens to be the end of the sentence.
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