Breakdown of Zelfs de baas bewerkt soms een grafiek.
een
a/an
de baas
the boss
soms
sometimes
zelfs
even
bewerken
to process, to edit
de grafiek
the chart, the graph
Questions & Answers about Zelfs de baas bewerkt soms een grafiek.
How does the prefix be- change the meaning of the verb werken here?
The base verb werken means to work and is usually intransitive (it doesn't take a direct object). By adding the inseparable prefix be-, it becomes bewerken, which is transitive. It literally means to work on something, and is commonly used to mean to edit, alter, or process a thing, such as een grafiek in this sentence.
Why is Zelfs used here to mean 'even', rather than the Dutch word even?
In Dutch, the English concept of 'even' (meaning including or surprisingly) is translated as zelfs. The Dutch word even is a false friend; it exists, but it means for a moment or just (as in wacht even for wait a moment). Because this sentence means 'even the boss does this', zelfs is the correct choice.
Why doesn't Zelfs cause verb inversion at the start of the sentence?
In this sentence, Zelfs de baas acts together as a single noun phrase functioning as the subject. Because this entire subject occupies the first grammatical position, the verb bewerkt takes its normal second position. If an adverb were standing alone at the start of the sentence, it would trigger inversion, but here Zelfs directly modifies de baas.
Does grafiek refer to any kind of chart or data?
A grafiek specifically refers to a graph or visual chart (like a line graph or bar chart). If the boss were editing a grid of text or numbers with rows and columns, you would use the word tabel instead.
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