Breakdown of Jouw filosofieën zijn zo abstract dat ik ze niet begrijp.
ik
I
zijn
to be
niet
not
begrijpen
to understand
Questions & Answers about Jouw filosofieën zijn zo abstract dat ik ze niet begrijp.
Why does filosofieën add -ën instead of just an -n like some other words ending in -ie?
Because the stress in the singular word filosofie falls on the final syllable (-fie). When a Dutch word ends in -ie and has the stress on that final syllable, we make it plural by adding -ën. If the stress fell on an earlier syllable (like in porie), we would only add an -n and put the trema on the existing e (forming poriën).
What is the purpose of the trema (the two dots) in filosofieën?
Why is the verb begrijp at the very end of the sentence?
The word dat introduces a subordinate clause (a dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence). In Dutch subordinate clauses, all verbs are pushed to the very end. That is why the order is dat ik ze niet begrijp instead of the standard main clause order ik begrijp ze niet.
Why do we use Jouw with a w here?