Breakdown of Het is best onverstandig om die zware kast te tillen.
zijn
to be
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
de kast
the cabinet / closet
het
it
zwaar
heavy / severe (of a punishment) / tough, hard
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
tillen
to lift
best
quite / pretty (degree adverb)
onverstandig
unwise
Questions & Answers about Het is best onverstandig om die zware kast te tillen.
How does the prefix on- change the meaning of verstandig in this sentence?
The productive prefix on- works just like "un-" or "in-" in English, turning an adjective into its opposite. Here, it attaches to verstandig (wise or sensible) to make onverstandig (unwise or foolish). The root noun of both is verstand (mind, intellect, or common sense).
Doesn't best usually mean "best"? Why is it translated as "quite" here?
It is a common false friend! While best can mean "best" (as in de beste), when used as an adverb directly before an adjective like onverstandig, it means "quite", "fairly", or "pretty". So best onverstandig means "quite unwise".
Why is the spelling zware rather than zwaare or just zwaar?
Because kast is a de-word specified by die, the adjective must take an -e ending. The base adjective is zwaar. When you add the -e, the syllable splits (zwa-re). Dutch spelling rules state that a single vowel in an open syllable is automatically long, so we drop the extra 'a' to get zware.
Is the word om strictly necessary in om die zware kast te tillen?
While conversational Dutch sometimes drops om in very simple sentences, it is highly expected and natural here. When you use a dummy subject (het) and an adjective phrase to pass judgment on an action, the om ... te (to) construction is the standard way to attach that action at the end of the sentence.
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