Breakdown of Mijn koffer was loodzwaar tijdens de reis.
zijn
to be
mijn
my
de koffer
the suitcase
de reis
the journey / the trip
tijdens
during
loodzwaar
extremely heavy
Questions & Answers about Mijn koffer was loodzwaar tijdens de reis.
How does the word loodzwaar work in this sentence?
Loodzwaar is an elative compound adjective used to express an extreme degree. It combines the noun lood (lead) and the adjective zwaar (heavy). While it literally means "lead-heavy," it is the natural Dutch way to say "extremely heavy."
Why doesn't loodzwaar get an -e ending here?
Because it is used as a predicate adjective, meaning it comes after the verb (was) rather than directly before the noun. If you put it in front of a noun, you must apply the normal adjective ending rules, for example: een loodzware koffer (an extremely heavy suitcase).
How should I pronounce loodzwaar? Does the emphasis change because it's a compound?
Yes, in Dutch elative compounds, the primary stress falls heavily on the first part of the word to emphasize the extreme degree. You should pronounce it as LOOD-zwaar, not lood-ZWAAR.
Can I use gedurende instead of tijdens in this sentence?
Yes, gedurende de reis is grammatically correct and also means "during the trip." However, tijdens is the standard, everyday word, whereas gedurende sounds a bit more formal and is more common in written Dutch.
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