Breakdown of Ik weet dat we die loodzware tassen met z'n allen moeten tillen.
ik
I
met
with
de tas
the bag
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
Questions & Answers about Ik weet dat we die loodzware tassen met z'n allen moeten tillen.
How does the elative compound loodzware break down?
It combines lood (lead) and zwaar (heavy). Dutch uses these combinations to emphasize an adjective, similar to 'crystal clear' or 'paper thin' in English. Here, loodzwaar means 'heavy as lead' or 'extremely heavy.'
Why does the adjective get an -e at the end to become loodzware?
Even though it's a compound word, it still acts like a normal adjective. Because it comes before the plural noun tassen, it gets the standard -e ending. Notice how the spelling rule applies: the double a in zwaar drops to a single a in loodzware to keep the long vowel sound open.
What does met z'n allen literally mean and how does it work here?
It translates literally to something like 'with his all,' but it is a fixed expression meaning 'all together' or 'with everyone.' It's incredibly common in Dutch. Despite the singular-looking z'n (his), the fixed phrase applies to the plural subject we perfectly fine.
Why are the verbs moeten tillen pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause, which forces all verbs to the end of that clause. You can also swap the verbs and say tillen moeten, but moeten tillen (auxiliary first, main verb second) is much more common in everyday spoken Dutch.