Breakdown of De schrijfstijl van de auteur is tamelijk lastig.
zijn
to be
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
lastig
tricky / difficult (troublesome)
de auteur
the author
tamelijk
quite / fairly
de schrijfstijl
the writing style
Questions & Answers about De schrijfstijl van de auteur is tamelijk lastig.
How could I use an argument-structuring adverb like althans to follow up this sentence?
You can use althans (at least) to limit or qualify the opinion you just gave. For example, you could add , althans, voor mij (..., at least, for me) to the end of the sentence to soften the claim and make it less absolute.
Is tamelijk interchangeable with vrij or best?
They are very close and often interchangeable, but there are slight nuances. Best is highly common in spoken Dutch and has a casual vibe. Vrij is neutral. Tamelijk sounds slightly more formal. If you wanted to sound more negative, like saying the style is 'rather' difficult, you would use nogal.
What is the difference between lastig and moeilijk in this context?
While both translate to 'difficult' or 'hard', lastig carries an extra nuance of being bothersome, tricky, or annoying to deal with. Moeilijk is simply the neutral word for 'difficult'. By calling the style lastig, the speaker implies it is a bit of a nuisance to read.
Could I say de auteurs schrijfstijl instead of de schrijfstijl van de auteur?
While technically possible, adding an s to indicate possession (the Saxon genitive) is quite rare with regular nouns in modern Dutch. It is almost exclusively used with proper names. For regular nouns like auteur, using van de is by far the most natural and standard phrasing.
Learn De schrijfstijl van de auteur is tamelijk lastig and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free