Breakdown of Dat de buurman het lef heeft om dat te verzwijgen!
hebben
to have
dat
that (het-words)
de buurman
the neighbor (male)
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
het lef
the nerve
verzwijgen
to conceal
Questions & Answers about Dat de buurman het lef heeft om dat te verzwijgen!
Why is this a complete sentence if it starts with Dat and pushes the verb heeft to the end of its clause?
This is an independent exclamatory dat-clause, which is exactly what this lesson is about! Even though it looks and acts like a subordinate clause (which pushes the conjugated verb heeft to the end of its block), it stands alone to express strong emotion, like indignation or disbelief. English does something similar with phrases like 'That he would do such a thing!'
How does the prefix ver- change the verb zwijgen (to be silent) here?
The base verb zwijgen is intransitive, meaning it does not take a direct object. Adding the prefix ver- turns it into the transitive verb verzwijgen, meaning to keep something a secret or to conceal it. The prefix ver- often transforms verbs to indicate a change of state, or in this case, a negative or hidden action.
Why is the second dat placed right in the middle of the om... te construction?
In an om + te + infinitive structure, all objects and extra information must be sandwiched between om and the te + infinitive part. Because the second dat (meaning 'that thing') is the direct object of verzwijgen, it has to sit inside this bracket, resulting in om dat te verzwijgen.
Is lef always a negative word, like 'audacity' or 'nerve'?
Not always! Lef translates broadly to 'guts' or 'courage' and can be a very positive trait when someone is brave. However, in this specific exclamation of disbelief, het lef hebben is used in the negative sense of having the 'nerve' or 'audacity' to do something wrong.
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