Breakdown of Voor zover we weten, is de telefoon repareerbaar.
zijn
to be
de telefoon
the phone
weten
to know (a fact)
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
voor zover
as far as / to the extent that
repareerbaar
repairable
Questions & Answers about Voor zover we weten, is de telefoon repareerbaar.
How is the adjective repareerbaar formed from the verb?
It uses the suffix -baar, which is the Dutch equivalent of the English '-able'. To form it, you take the stem of the verb repareren (to repair). Because the infinitive has a long 'e' sound in an open syllable (re-pa-re-ren), you must double the 'e' to keep the sound long in the stem: repareer. Finally, add -baar to get repareerbaar.
Why is -baar a grammatical fit for the verb repareren?
The suffix -baar almost exclusively attaches to the stems of transitive verbs, which are verbs that can take a direct object. Because you can perform the action on an object (like when you repair a phone), repareren is a perfect candidate to be turned into an adjective describing something that can undergo that action.
How does the phrase voor zover work here?
Voor zover is a fixed subordinating conjunction that means 'as far as' or 'insofar as'. Because it introduces a subordinate clause, it forces the verb in that clause (weten) to the very end of its phrase.
Why does the main verb is come right after the comma?
This is a great example of the Dutch verb-second (V2) rule. The entire subordinate clause Voor zover we weten acts as a single block occupying the first position of the sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, is must come immediately after the comma, causing it to swap places with the subject de telefoon.
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