Breakdown of Zij is allergisch voor gluten, maar hij blijkt ook allergisch.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zij
she
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
maar
but
voor
for (on behalf of)
blijken
to turn out / to appear
allergisch
allergic
de gluten
the gluten
Questions & Answers about Zij is allergisch voor gluten, maar hij blijkt ook allergisch.
Why is ook placed right before allergisch?
The word ook (also/too) is a focus adverb, meaning it highlights a specific part of the sentence. Here, it is placed right before the adjective allergisch because it emphasizes that he shares this specific condition. When ook focuses on an adjective, it is placed immediately before it.
The English translation says 'turns out to be', but where is the Dutch translation for 'to be' (te zijn)?
In Dutch, the verb blijken (to turn out / to appear) is often used directly with an adjective, without needing te zijn (to be). You can technically say hij blijkt ook allergisch te zijn, but it is very common and completely correct to leave te zijn out, as done in this sentence.
Why doesn't the word maar push the verb blijkt to the end of the sentence?
The word maar (but) is a coordinating conjunction, just like en (and) or of (or). This means it connects two independent main clauses without changing their word order. The second clause follows the normal main clause structure, with the verb (blijkt) in the second position right after the subject (hij).
Why does the sentence use the stressed pronouns Zij and hij instead of the unstressed Ze and ie?
The sentence makes a direct contrast between the two people: she is allergic, and he turns out to be allergic too. When you are explicitly comparing or contrasting subjects, you must use the stressed pronoun forms.
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