Breakdown of Ik vind het buitengewoon dat hij de toon zuiver zingt.
ik
I
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
het
it
zingen
to sing
dat
that (conjunction)
vinden
to think / consider (hold an opinion)
zuiver
in tune / pure
buitengewoon
extraordinary
de toon
the tone / the pitch
Questions & Answers about Ik vind het buitengewoon dat hij de toon zuiver zingt.
Why do we need the word het before buitengewoon?
In this sentence, het is an anticipatory provisional object (voorlopig lijdend voorwerp). It acts as a placeholder for the actual object of the verb vind, which is the entire clause dat hij de toon zuiver zingt. Because a full clause is too long to sit comfortably in the middle of the main sentence, het holds its place.
Can I leave out het and just say Ik vind buitengewoon dat...?
No, you cannot drop it here. When you use a verb expressing an opinion like vinden followed by an adjective like buitengewoon and a dat-clause, the placeholder het is strictly required in Dutch.
How does the word buitengewoon get its meaning?
It is a compound word made of buiten (outside) and gewoon (normal or ordinary). Literally meaning 'outside the ordinary', it translates to 'extraordinary' or 'exceptional'.
Why is the verb zingt pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause. As a rule in Dutch, a subordinate clause pushes the conjugated verb (zingt) to the very end of that clause.
Why doesn't zuiver get an -e ending here?
In this sentence, zuiver (pure) is being used as an adverb because it describes how he sings (zingt). In Dutch, adverbs have the exact same form as the basic adjective, so we never add an -e to them.
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