Breakdown of Waarom lijk je plotseling vrij ongevoelig voor haar emoties?
haar
her
waarom
why
voor
for (on behalf of)
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
Questions & Answers about Waarom lijk je plotseling vrij ongevoelig voor haar emoties?
How is the word ongevoelig formed here?
It is formed by adding the negative prefix on- to the adjective gevoelig (sensitive). The on- prefix in Dutch is highly productive and works exactly like 'un-', 'in-', or 'im-' in English to create the direct opposite of an adjective or participle.
Why does the sentence use voor to mean 'to'?
While English uses 'insensitive to', Dutch uses the fixed combination ongevoelig voor (literally: insensitive for). Prepositions connected to adjectives rarely translate word-for-word, so it is best to memorize gevoelig voor as a set phrase.
Doesn't the word vrij usually mean 'free'? Why is it translated as 'quite'?
As an adjective, vrij means 'free'. However, when placed immediately before another adjective as an adverb of degree (like here before ongevoelig), it means 'quite', 'fairly', or 'rather'. It is used here to slightly soften the bluntness of the statement.
Why is it lijk je and not lijkt je with a '-t'?
Because the sentence starts with the question word Waarom, the verb and subject swap places (inversion). As a rule in Dutch, whenever the subject je or jij comes immediately after the verb, you drop the standard -t ending.