Breakdown of Het uitzicht over de stad is gewoonweg prachtig.
zijn
to be
de stad
the city
het
it
prachtig
gorgeous
over
over, across (spatial)
het uitzicht
the view
gewoonweg
simply / just (plainly)
Questions & Answers about Het uitzicht over de stad is gewoonweg prachtig.
How does the suffix '-weg' change the word 'gewoon' in this sentence?
The word gewoon usually means "normal" or "ordinary", and as an adverb it means "just". Adding the suffix -weg turns it into an emphatic adverb meaning "simply" or "plainly". In gewoonweg prachtig, it intensifies the adjective prachtig, translating best to "simply beautiful".
Could I leave out the '-weg' suffix and just say 'gewoon prachtig'?
Yes, you can! Het uitzicht is gewoon prachtig is perfectly correct and means almost exactly the same thing ("The view is just beautiful"). However, using gewoonweg makes the statement slightly more emphatic or expressive. It highlights that the beauty is absolute and undeniable.
Are there other common words that use '-weg' in the exact same way as 'gewoonweg' here?
Yes, several! The most common ones you will hear are simpelweg (simply), kortweg (briefly / in short), and botweg (bluntly / flat-out). They all take a basic adjective and turn it into a fixed adverb of manner that modifies an action or another adjective.
Why does the sentence use 'uitzicht' instead of 'gezicht' for "view"?
Uitzicht specifically refers to a physical view or scenery you look out at from a certain vantage point, like looking over a city or out a window. Gezicht means "face" or a general "sight" (as in een mooi gezicht for "a beautiful sight"), but it is not used for a scenic panorama.
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