Breakdown of Hij werpt de speer net zo ver als zijn broer.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
de broer
the brother
zijn
his
ver
far
zo
so (to such a degree)
als
as (like / conjunction)
net
just / exactly (time / similarity)
werpen
to throw (formal)
de speer
the javelin / the spear
Questions & Answers about Hij werpt de speer net zo ver als zijn broer.
How does the "just as... as" structure work in this sentence?
To compare two equal things, Dutch uses zo [adverb] als. Here, zo ver als means "as far as". The word net translates to "just", so net zo ver als means "just as far as". This is the base degree of comparison, contrasting with the superlatives you are focusing on in this lesson.
How would I rewrite this sentence to say "He throws the javelin the farthest" using an adverbial superlative?
You would replace the entire comparison (net zo ver als zijn broer) with het verst. The sentence becomes: Hij werpt de speer het verst. Because it describes how he performs the verb werpt, you use the invariant het + superlative, with no extra -e on the end of the adverb.
Why is the verb "werpt" used here instead of the more common "gooit"?
Gooien is indeed the everyday word for "to throw". However, werpen is used in sports contexts, such as speerwerpen (javelin throwing), as well as in more formal language or fixed expressions. It is a strong (irregular) verb you should recognize at this level: werpen - wierp - geworpen.
If I wanted to add the verb "does" to the end ("just as far as his brother does"), where would it go?
It would go at the very end: ... net zo ver als zijn broer doet. In comparisons like this, als introduces a subclause, which sends the verb to the end. However, dropping the verb entirely and just ending with zijn broer (as this sentence does) is perfectly natural and very common.
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