Breakdown of Dit is de boom waarvan de stam en de wortels heel dik zijn.
zijn
to be
en
and
de boom
the tree
heel
very
Questions & Answers about Dit is de boom waarvan de stam en de wortels heel dik zijn.
Why do we use waarvan here instead of wiens for "whose"?
In Dutch, wiens (whose) is only used for people. Because de boom (the tree) is an inanimate object, you must use waarvan (literally "where-of" or "of which") to show possession.
Why is the verb zijn at the very end of the sentence?
The word waarvan introduces a relative clause, which follows the same word order rules as a subordinate clause. This means the conjugated verb zijn gets pushed to the very end of the sentence, after the subjects (de stam en de wortels) and the adjective (heel dik).
Does the word wortels also mean carrots?
Yes! The Dutch word wortel means both "root" and "carrot". In this sentence, the context of de boom (the tree) and de stam (the trunk) makes it clear we are talking about tree roots, not carrots.
Why are there two nouns after waarvan?
The phrase de stam en de wortels (the trunk and the roots) functions as a single compound subject belonging to the tree. Because this combined subject is plural, the verb at the end is the plural form zijn instead of is.