Breakdown of Wat een vreselijk plan, het is gewoonweg gevaarlijk!
zijn
to be
het
it
gevaarlijk
dangerous
het plan
the plan
wat een
what a
vreselijk
awful, dreadful
gewoonweg
simply / just (plainly)
Questions & Answers about Wat een vreselijk plan, het is gewoonweg gevaarlijk!
How does the word gewoonweg use the -weg suffix from this lesson?
The word gewoonweg is formed by adding the suffix -weg to the adjective gewoon (normal/just). Adding -weg to an adjective creates an adverb that emphasizes the statement, translating well to "simply," "plainly," or "downright" in English. Here, it acts as an intensifier to stress how dangerous the plan is.
Could I use simpelweg instead of gewoonweg in this sentence?
Yes, simpelweg and gewoonweg are very often interchangeable when used as intensifiers meaning "simply." Gewoonweg feels slightly more natural for expressing emotional frustration here (since gewoon implies something is "just" the way it is), but both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing in this context.
Why is there no -e at the end of vreselijk in een vreselijk plan?
This is a classic adjective inflection rule that is easy to slip up on. The word plan is a neuter noun (het plan). When an adjective comes before a neuter singular noun accompanied by the indefinite article een, the adjective does not get an -e ending. If it were a specific plan (het vreselijke plan), the -e would be required.
Is Wat een... the standard way to make an exclamation like "What a..." in Dutch?
Yes, Dutch uses Wat een directly followed by a noun or noun phrase to express surprise, dismay, or strong emotion, exactly like "What a..." in English. No special word order or extra verbs are needed for this exclamatory phrase.
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