Breakdown of Wat wij het meest koesteren, is de betekenis van ons werk.
zijn
to be
wij
we
het werk
the work
ons
our
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
meest
most
wat
that / which (relative)
koesteren
to cherish
de betekenis
the meaning
Questions & Answers about Wat wij het meest koesteren, is de betekenis van ons werk.
Why does the main verb is come immediately after the comma, seemingly without a subject?
The entire first clause, Wat wij het meest koesteren, acts as the subject of the main sentence. In Dutch, the main verb must take the second position. Since the whole Wat clause occupies position one, the verb is must immediately follow it in position two. This is a classic pseudo-cleft sentence, used to put heavy emphasis on the second half of the sentence.
Why is koesteren at the very end of the first part of the sentence?
The part of the sentence starting with Wat is a subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb (in this case, koesteren) gets pushed all the way to the end of its clause.
Is the comma before is strictly necessary?
Yes, in Dutch, when an entire clause acts as the subject of the sentence, you almost always place a comma right before the main verb. This clearly separates the subordinate clause from the main clause and makes the sentence structure much easier to read.
Could I use the word zin instead of betekenis for 'meaning' here?
You could say de zin van ons werk, which translates more closely to 'the point of our work' or 'the sense of our work'. However, betekenis is a stronger choice when you want to emphasize the profound significance, impact, or true value of the work.
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