Breakdown of Desondanks eet ik wat slappe friet.
ik
I
eten
to eat
de friet
the fries
wat
something / some (a little)
desondanks
nevertheless
slap
limp
Questions & Answers about Desondanks eet ik wat slappe friet.
Why is it eet ik instead of ik eet?
The sentence starts with the adverb Desondanks (Nevertheless). In Dutch main clauses, the verb must always take the second position. When something other than the subject is in the first position, the subject must move directly after the verb. This is called inversion.
I learned that wat means "what". Why is it translated as "some" here?
While wat means "what" in questions, it is very commonly used in statements as an indefinite pronoun meaning "some" or "a little". So wat slappe friet simply means "some limp fries".
Why does the adjective get an -e at the end (slappe instead of slap)?
Because friet is a de-word (de friet). Adjectives placed before nouns normally get an -e ending. The main exception is when the adjective comes before a het-word that has an indefinite article (like een) or no article at all (like with wat). Since friet is a de-word, it keeps the -e.
In English we say "fries" (plural). Why is friet singular here?
In Dutch, friet (as well as the regional alternative patat) is typically treated as an uncountable mass noun. You talk about it the same way you talk about "rice" or "pasta" in English, so it stays in the singular form even for a whole portion.
How would I use this lesson's grammar to say "The fries have become limp"?
To express that something has become a certain way, you use the perfect tense of worden (to become). This is formed with the helping verb zijn (to be) + geworden. You would say: De friet is slap geworden.
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