Breakdown of Dat hij zowaar zo'n verbazingwekkende prestatie heeft neergezet!
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
hebben
to have
dat
that (conjunction)
de prestatie
the achievement / the performance
zo'n
such a
zowaar
actually (surprisingly)
verbazingwekkend
astonishing
neerzetten
to establish (e.g. a record)
Questions & Answers about Dat hij zowaar zo'n verbazingwekkende prestatie heeft neergezet!
Why does the sentence start with Dat and have the verbs at the very end (heeft neergezet), if there is no main clause before it?
This is an independent exclamatory dat-clause, which is exactly what you are studying! In Dutch, you can express strong emotion, shock, or surprise by using a subordinate clause on its own. Because it is grammatically a subordinate clause, all verbs get pushed to the end. It is like saying '(I am amazed) that he...' but leaving out the first part!
What does zowaar add to the sentence, and how is it different from eigenlijk?
Zowaar translates to 'actually', 'truly', or 'believe it or not'. It specifically adds a strong sense of unexpectedness or surprise, which fits perfectly in this exclamation. While eigenlijk also means 'actually', it is mostly used to state a fact that contrasts with expectations or appearances, without necessarily implying shock or surprise.
How is the long adjective verbazingwekkende formed?
It is a compound adjective made from the noun verbazing (amazement) and wekkend, which is the present participle of the verb wekken (to wake or arouse). Together, it literally means 'amazement-arousing'. The extra -e is added at the end because it modifies the noun prestatie, which is preceded by zo'n (acting like een for a de-word).
Why is the verb neerzetten used here instead of doen or maken for delivering a performance?
In Dutch, een prestatie neerzetten (literally 'to set down a performance') is a fixed collocation. When talking about delivering a strong result, achieving a record, or putting on a great performance, you use neerzetten.
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