Breakdown of De tentoonstelling was saai, behalve dat ze visueel prachtig was.
zijn
to be
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
saai
boring
prachtig
gorgeous
Questions & Answers about De tentoonstelling was saai, behalve dat ze visueel prachtig was.
How does behalve dat affect the word order in the second part of the sentence?
Behalve dat (except that) acts as a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause, which pushes the conjugated verb (was) all the way to the end of the clause: ...behalve dat ze visueel prachtig was.
Could I use buiten dat instead of behalve dat in this sentence?
Not really, because they have different nuances. Behalve dat means "except that" and introduces an exception or contrast to the first statement. Buiten dat means "besides the fact that" or "in addition to," which is used to add another point. Since being visually beautiful contrasts with being boring, behalve dat makes the most sense here.
Why does the sentence use ze (she) to refer back to de tentoonstelling?
Dutch nouns ending in -ing are grammatically feminine. In formal written Dutch, and very commonly in Flemish (Belgian Dutch), people refer back to feminine de-words with ze or zij. If you are speaking casually in the Netherlands, you will often hear people use hij (he) or die (that one) instead.
Is the comma before behalve dat mandatory?
Yes, it is highly recommended. In Dutch, you generally place a comma before a subordinating conjunction when it separates two full clauses. This clearly marks the boundary between the main statement and the exception.