Breakdown of Zij vergeten het gewoonweg altijd.
zij
they
altijd
always
vergeten
to forget
het
it
gewoonweg
simply / just (plainly)
Questions & Answers about Zij vergeten het gewoonweg altijd.
How does the suffix -weg change the meaning of gewoon to create gewoonweg?
The word gewoon typically means "normal" or "ordinary", but it is also widely used to mean "just" or "simply". Adding the suffix -weg creates an absolute adverb of manner. It makes the statement stronger and more emphatic, translating to "simply", "plainly", or "flat-out".
Could I just say gewoon instead of gewoonweg in this sentence?
Yes, you can! Zij vergeten het gewoon altijd is perfectly correct and very common in everyday spoken Dutch. Using gewoonweg adds a bit more emphasis and a slightly more formal or definitive tone, heavily stressing that it is simply an unavoidable fact that they always forget.
Why does gewoonweg come before the time adverb altijd? Doesn't time usually come first?
While the general Dutch word order rule is "Time, Manner, Place", adverbs that express degree, emphasis, or modality (like gewoonweg) often come right before the specific element they are emphasizing. Here, gewoonweg emphasizes the absolute nature of them always forgetting, so it steps in front of altijd.
Just a quick refresher: how can we instantly tell zij means "they" and not "she" in this sentence?
By looking at the verb vergeten. Because vergeten is the plural form of the verb, zij must mean "they". If it meant "she", the verb would be conjugated in the singular: Zij vergeet het gewoonweg altijd.
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