Breakdown of Mijn baas is erg koppig en heeft de neiging om te klagen.
zijn
to be
en
and
hebben
to have
erg
very / really
mijn
my
de baas
the boss
klagen
to complain
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
koppig
stubborn (obstinate)
de neiging
the tendency
Questions & Answers about Mijn baas is erg koppig en heeft de neiging om te klagen.
Since the current lesson is about nou eenmaal, where would I put it in this sentence to say 'My boss is just very stubborn'?
You would place it directly after the conjugated verb: Mijn baas is nou eenmaal erg koppig... This adds that characteristic tone of inevitability, expressing resignation that your boss's stubbornness is just a fact of life you have to accept.
Why is om te used before klagen?
The phrase de neiging hebben (to have a tendency) triggers the use of om te + infinitive when you specify what that tendency is. Many Dutch constructions consisting of a noun followed by an infinitive verb require this om te bridge, working exactly like 'the tendency to [verb]' in English.
Is there a difference between using erg koppig and heel koppig here?
No, they are completely interchangeable in this context. When used as adverbs meaning 'very', erg and heel can both be used freely. Keep in mind that as adjectives, their meanings split: erg means 'terrible' or 'bad', while heel means 'whole' or 'entire'.
Why isn't the subject repeated in the second half of the sentence (en heeft de neiging...)?
Because the two main clauses are joined by en (and) and share the exact same subject (mijn baas), you can drop the pronoun in the second clause. This works identically to English: 'My boss is stubborn and [he] has the tendency to complain.'
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