Learn Dutch: Dat accessoire, dat vind ik erg opvallend. - That accessory, I find it very striking.

The first dat translates to that and goes directly with the het-word accessoire. The second dat is a resumptive pronoun that points back to dat accessoire. We place the topic at the very beginning of the sentence for emphasis, and then use the second dat as a grammatical placeholder to kick off the main clause.

Why is the word order inverted to vind ik instead of ik vind?

In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb must be in the second position. The placeholder dat takes up the first position of the main clause, so the verb vind must immediately follow it. This pushes the subject ik into the third position.

How can I remember that accessoire is a het-word and not a de-word?

A helpful rule of thumb is that French loanwords ending in -oire, such as accessoire, repertoire, or trottoir, are almost always het-words in Dutch. Because it is a het-word, we are required to use dat for both the demonstrative adjective and the placeholder pronoun, rather than die.

How is the word opvallend formed here?