Breakdown of Wie opschept, verliest de wedstrijd.
wie
who
de wedstrijd
the match / the game
verliezen
to lose
opscheppen
to brag
Questions & Answers about Wie opschept, verliest de wedstrijd.
How does wie function as 'whoever' in this sentence instead of a question word?
Here, wie introduces a free relative clause, meaning it doesn't refer back to a noun we already mentioned. Instead, the entire phrase Wie opschept acts as the subject of the main sentence. In this structure, wie translates to whoever or anyone who.
Why is the main verb verliest placed right after the comma?
Dutch uses Verb-Second (V2) word order in main clauses. The entire subordinate clause Wie opschept occupies the first position of the main sentence. Therefore, the main verb verliest must come immediately after it to take the second position.
opscheppen is a separable verb (to brag). Why isn't it split up into 'schept op' here?
Because Wie opschept is a subordinate clause, which forces the conjugated verb to the end. When a separable verb's prefix (op) and conjugated verb (schept) are pushed to the end of a clause, they merge back together into a single word: opschept.
Could I say Degene die opschept, verliest de wedstrijd instead?
Yes, absolutely. Degene die (the person who) is a very common alternative to using the independent wie. Both are grammatically correct and mean exactly the same thing, though using wie feels a bit more concise and proverbial.
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