Breakdown of Haar imago is erg belangrijk voor haar, dus ze is zelden oprecht.
zijn
to be
erg
very / really
haar
her
belangrijk
important
voor
for (on behalf of)
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
dus
so, therefore
zelden
rarely
het imago
the image
oprecht
sincere
Questions & Answers about Haar imago is erg belangrijk voor haar, dus ze is zelden oprecht.
Why is the word order ze is after dus instead of inverting the verb and subject?
The word dus (so/therefore) acts as a coordinating conjunction here, just like en (and) or maar (but). This means it joins two independent clauses without changing the word order in the second clause, so we keep the standard subject-verb order: ze is.
Is oprecht the only way to say "sincere"?
Oprecht is an excellent word for "sincere" or "genuine" when describing someone's character or emotions. You will also hear eerlijk, which strictly means "honest" or "fair." Oprecht carries a deeper nuance of authenticity and lacking pretense, making it the perfect contrast to someone who only cares about their imago (image).
Why does the adverb zelden come immediately after the verb is?
Zelden (rarely or seldom) is an adverb of frequency. In a standard Dutch main clause, time and frequency adverbs usually sit right after the conjugated verb and any specific subject pronouns. Here, it neatly follows the verb is.
Since this lesson is about epistemic modal concession with mogen, how could we rewrite this sentence to use that structure?
To use mogen for concession (meaning "may well be"), you could say: Haar imago mag dan erg belangrijk voor haar zijn, ze is zelden oprecht. This shifts the meaning to: "Her image might well be very important to her, but she is rarely sincere." The phrase mag dan ... zijn acknowledges a fact while setting up a contrast in the next clause.
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