Word
Wij beschouwen de andere studenten als gelijkwaardig.
Meaning
We regard the other students as equal.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Wij beschouwen de andere studenten als gelijkwaardig.
de student
the student
wij
we
als
as (like / conjunction)
ander
other
Questions & Answers about Wij beschouwen de andere studenten als gelijkwaardig.
How does the phrase beschouwen als work in this sentence?
It means "to regard as" or "to consider as". The verb beschouwen acts on the direct object (de andere studenten), and als links that object to the description we give it (gelijkwaardig). Verbs of categorization like beschouwen, zien, and ervaren frequently use als to attach this kind of objective complement.
Why doesn't gelijkwaardig get an -e at the end, since it refers to the plural studenten?
Because gelijkwaardig functions as a predicative complement here, not an attributive adjective. Adjectives generally only take an -e ending when they come directly before the noun they modify (like andere does in de andere studenten). When an adjective is linked later in the sentence by a verb or a word like als, it stays in its basic, uninflected form.
Could I use gelijk instead of gelijkwaardig here?
It would sound a bit unnatural in this context. Gelijk usually means "identical" or "the same" in a literal or mathematical sense. Gelijkwaardig translates closer to "of equal value" or "on an equal footing," which is the natural choice when talking about equality and respect among people.
If this were a subordinate clause, where would als gelijkwaardig go?