Breakdown of Wat een gedoe tijdens de vakantie!
een
a/an
wat
what
de vakantie
the holiday
tijdens
during
het gedoe
the hassle / the fuss
Questions & Answers about Wat een gedoe tijdens de vakantie!
Why is een used before gedoe if it is an uncountable noun?
In exclamations starting with wat, Dutch commonly uses een to add emphasis, even with uncountable nouns. It mirrors the English pattern 'What a...', but Dutch applies it to a wider range of nouns.
How is the noun gedoe formed?
It is formed by adding the prefix ge- to the stem of the verb doen (to do). This is a very common way to create het-words that describe an ongoing, often annoying activity. For example, zeuren (to whine) becomes het gezeur (the whining).
Can I say in de vakantie instead of tijdens de vakantie?
Yes, you can. Both mean 'during the vacation' and are correct. Tijdens is slightly more specific to the duration of an event, while in is a more general preposition, but they are fully interchangeable here.
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