Breakdown of Indien de lucht kraakhelder is, zien we de sterren.
zijn
to be
zien
to see
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
de ster
the star
Questions & Answers about Indien de lucht kraakhelder is, zien we de sterren.
What does the prefix kraak in the elative compound kraakhelder actually mean?
The prefix kraak comes from the verb kraken, which means to creak or crack. As an elative prefix, it strongly intensifies the adjective to mean 'crystal clear' or 'squeaky clean'. You will also see it in other compounds like kraakvers (extremely fresh) or kraakschoon (spotless).
Why does this sentence start with indien instead of the usual als?
Indien is a formal synonym for als (if). It is primarily used in written Dutch, official documents, or literature. As a B2 learner you will encounter it often while reading, but in everyday spoken Dutch it is perfectly fine to stick to als.
Why is the word order zien we instead of we zien after the comma?
This is a classic inversion rule. The entire subordinate clause (Indien de lucht kraakhelder is) acts as the first block of information in the main sentence. Because the main verb must always take the second position, zien has to come directly after the comma, which pushes the subject we behind it.
Does lucht always translate to 'sky'?