Breakdown of Dit is de spion die het complot doorziet.
zijn
to be
dit
this (neuter)
die
who / that (relative pronoun)
de spion
the spy
Questions & Answers about Dit is de spion die het complot doorziet.
Is doorzien separable or inseparable in this sentence?
It is inseparable. The verb doorzien is a dual-nature verb. When it is inseparable, it means to figuratively see through something, like a lie or a conspiracy (het complot). If it were separable, it would mean to literally look through a physical object.
How should I pronounce doorziet to make sure I am conveying the right meaning?
Because the verb is inseparable in this context, the stress falls on the core verb rather than the prefix. You should pronounce it as doorzíét. Putting the stress on the prefix (dóórziet) would signal the separable version of the verb.
What would the past participle be if the spy has seen through the conspiracy?
The past participle is simply doorzien. Because it acts as an inseparable verb here, it does not get the standard ge- prefix in the perfect tense. The phrase would be heeft het complot doorzien.
Why does doorziet go at the very end of the sentence?
The word die introduces a relative clause giving more information about de spion. Relative clauses follow subclause word order, which always pushes the conjugated verb (doorziet) to the end of the clause.