Question 1

Why is the verb bestuderen before the subject we after dus?

Accepted Answer

The word dus (so / therefore) is unique because it can act as either a conjunction or an adverb. When treated as an adverb at the start of the clause, it takes up the first position, causing the verb to come right after it (dus bestuderen we). You can also use it as a standard conjunction with normal word order (dus we bestuderen). Both are completely correct!

Question 2

Since "species" ends in an "s" in English, is soort singular or plural here?

Accepted Answer

It is singular. In English, "species" is spelled the same way whether there is one or many. In Dutch, de soort is clearly singular, which is why the verb is groeit (grows) and we use the singular pointing word die. If you wanted to talk about multiple species, you would say die soorten groeien.

Question 3

I often hear people say dat soort. Why is it die soort in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Because soort is a de-word, strictly speaking it should always take die. However, when used as a fixed phrase meaning "that kind of" (like in dat soort dingen - those kinds of things), Dutch speakers often casually use dat. In this sentence, because it refers to a specific biological species rather than a general category, it sticks to the official rule and uses die.

Question 4

How could I rewrite this sentence to use waarvan (of which), like in this lesson?

Accepted Answer

You could combine the two parts into a single sentence with a relative clause: Dat is de soort waarvan we alles bestuderen (That is the species of which we study everything). You must use waarvan instead of van wie because a species is an inanimate concept, not a person.

Die soort groeit snel, dus bestuderen we alles.

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