Word
Dat is nou eenmaal de realiteit.
Meaning
That is just the reality.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Dat is nou eenmaal de realiteit.
zijn
to be
dat
that (het-words)
nou eenmaal
simply / just the way it is
de realiteit
the reality
Questions & Answers about Dat is nou eenmaal de realiteit.
What exactly does nou eenmaal add here? Why not just say Dat is de realiteit?
The phrase nou eenmaal expresses a strong sense of inevitability and resignation. While Dat is de realiteit is a neutral statement of fact, adding nou eenmaal gives it the feeling of "That is simply the reality, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to change it."
Can I use gewoon instead to mean "just", as in Dat is gewoon de realiteit?
You can, but the nuance shifts slightly. Gewoon means "simply" or "just" in a straightforward way. Using nou eenmaal instead specifically highlights a feeling of having to accept an unchangeable, and often slightly unfortunate, situation.
Is it possible to say nu eenmaal instead of nou eenmaal in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. Nu eenmaal and nou eenmaal mean exactly the same thing here. Nou eenmaal is just a slightly more informal, spoken variant of the phrase.
Can nou and eenmaal be separated in this sentence?
No. When used to express this specific feeling of inevitability, nou eenmaal acts as a fixed unit and the two words must stay together.