Breakdown of Dat apparaat weegt grofweg vijf kilo.
vijf
five
dat
that (het-words)
het apparaat
the appliance / device
wegen
to weigh
Questions & Answers about Dat apparaat weegt grofweg vijf kilo.
How does the suffix -weg change the meaning of grof in this sentence?
The adjective grof means "rough", "coarse", or "crude". By adding the suffix -weg, it becomes the adverb grofweg, meaning "roughly" or "approximately". In Dutch, -weg is often attached to adjectives to create adverbs that indicate how something is done or to what degree.
Are grofweg and ongeveer completely interchangeable here?
Yes, they mean almost the same thing and you could easily say ...weegt ongeveer vijf kilo. However, grofweg gives a slightly stronger sense of it being a broad, unrefined estimate, much like choosing "roughly" over "approximately" in English.
Why is the word kilo not pluralized to kilo's after the number vijf?
In Dutch, most units of measurement, weight, and time (like kilo, meter, uur, and jaar) remain in their singular form when they come directly after a specific number. You will only see the plural kilo's when talking about them in a general sense without a number, like tientallen kilo's (dozens of kilos).
I always forget: why do we use dat instead of die for apparaat?