Learn Dutch: Hij gebruikt de soja namelijk niet, en zij gebruikt de soja ook niet. - He does not use the soy, you see, and she does not use the soy either.

Hij gebruikt de soja namelijk niet, en zij gebruikt de soja ook niet.

He does not use the soy, you see, and she does not use the soy either.

Breakdown of Hij gebruikt de soja namelijk niet, en zij gebruikt de soja ook niet.

hij

he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)

also / -ever (concessive particle)

Questions & Answers about Hij gebruikt de soja namelijk niet, en zij gebruikt de soja ook niet.

Why is ook niet placed at the very end of the sentence?

In Dutch, the phrase ook niet (meaning "not either" or "neither") follows the exact same placement rules as standard niet. Because de soja is a specific, definite direct object (indicated by the article de), the negation must be placed after it.

What is the purpose of namelijk here, and why isn't it translated as "namely"?

While namelijk can mean "namely", in everyday Dutch it is frequently used to mean "you see" or to act as a softer "because". It signals to the listener that the speaker is providing a reason or explanation for something that was just discussed.

Why does namelijk come before niet in the first clause?

Adverbs that provide background context or connect back to a previous sentence, like namelijk, typically come before the negation niet. The word niet is kept closer to the end of the clause to negate the entire action of using the soy.

Could I use the short, unstressed pronouns ie and ze instead of hij and zij in this sentence?

It is much better to use the full forms here. The sentence is directly contrasting what he does with what she does. Whenever you need to contrast or emphasize the subjects, you must use the full, stressed pronouns hij and zij.