Breakdown of De opticien zegt dat mijn zicht met de nieuwe sterkte veel scherper is.
zijn
to be
veel
much / many / a lot of
met
with
zeggen
to say
mijn
my
nieuw
new
dat
that (conjunction)
het zicht
the vision / the eyesight
de opticien
the optician
de sterkte
the prescription / the strength (glasses, lenses)
scherp
sharp / clear (focus, image)
Questions & Answers about De opticien zegt dat mijn zicht met de nieuwe sterkte veel scherper is.
Why do we use veel scherper here instead of heel scherper?
In Dutch, just like in English, you cannot use "very" (heel) to intensify a comparative adjective. Instead, you use "much" (veel) or "a lot" (een stuk). So, "much sharper/clearer" is veel scherper.
The translation says "prescription", but doesn't sterkte mean "strength"?
Yes, it literally means "strength". When talking about glasses or contact lenses, Dutch uses sterkte to refer to the optical power of the lenses, which is what English speakers mean by an eye "prescription". (A medical prescription from a doctor for medicine is a recept).
Why is "clearer" translated as scherper? I thought scherp meant "sharp".
You're right, scherp literally means "sharp". However, when talking about eyesight, camera lenses, or screens, the Dutch use scherp where we would usually say "clear" or "in focus" in English.
Why does the verb is go at the very end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) kicks off a subordinate clause: dat mijn zicht met de nieuwe sterkte veel scherper is. In Dutch, the rule for a subordinate clause is that the verb gets pushed to the very end of that clause.
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