Breakdown of Een lage temperatuur is nodig, wat een optimale staat waarborgt.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
nodig
needed
laag
low
wat
that / which (relative)
de staat
the condition/the state
de temperatuur
the temperature
optimaal
optimal
waarborgen
to guarantee / to safeguard (ensure, secure)
Questions & Answers about Een lage temperatuur is nodig, wat een optimale staat waarborgt.
Why does this sentence use wat instead of die or dat?
Here, wat translates to "which," but it doesn't refer to a specific noun. Instead, it refers back to the entire preceding clause (Een lage temperatuur is nodig). In Dutch, whenever you refer back to a whole situation or statement rather than a single word, you must use wat.
This lesson is about opdat. How would the sentence change if we used opdat instead of wat?
You could rewrite the second half as: ..., opdat het een optimale staat waarborgt. (..., so that it guarantees an optimal condition). While wat simply states a factual result ("which guarantees"), using the formal conjunction opdat emphasizes the deliberate purpose ("in order that it guarantees").
Why is the verb waarborgt pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word wat acts as a relative pronoun here, which introduces a relative clause. Relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause, meaning they trigger the exact same verb-final word order as subordinating conjunctions like opdat or omdat.
Is waarborgen (to guarantee) a separable verb?
No, waarborgen is inseparable. Even though it looks like a compound of waar (true/where) and borgen (to secure), you do not split it in a main clause. Consequently, its past participle is gewaarborgd, not waargeborgd.
Learn Een lage temperatuur is nodig, wat een optimale staat waarborgt 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