Breakdown of Er wordt gelet op de grootte van de dozen.
worden
to become
er
there (existential)
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
de doos
the box
letten op
to pay attention to
de grootte
the size (dimensions, magnitude)
Questions & Answers about Er wordt gelet op de grootte van de dozen.
Why does grootte have two t's instead of one?
To form a noun indicating a physical dimension, Dutch often adds -te to the adjective. Since the adjective groot (big) already ends in a 't', adding -te results in grootte. The double 't' is kept to clearly distinguish the noun de grootte (the size) from the inflected adjective de grote (the big one).
How does the passive construction Er wordt gelet op work in this sentence?
This is an impersonal passive. When you want to say 'attention is paid' or 'people pay attention' without specifying who is doing it, Dutch uses er as a dummy subject along with the passive verb worden and the past participle. It translates conceptually to 'There is being paid attention to'.
Why is the preposition op used right after gelet?
It belongs to the verb letten. In Dutch, the fixed combination is letten op (to pay attention to). Because the sentence is built as a passive construction without a direct object separating them, the past participle gelet and the preposition op end up right next to each other.
Just a quick refresher: why does the 's' in doos change to a 'z' in dozen?
This is a standard Dutch spelling rule. When a singular noun ends in a long vowel sound followed by an 's' (like doos), the 's' changes to a voiced 'z' when the plural ending -en is added. You also drop one 'o' because the syllable is now open, which naturally keeps the vowel sound long.
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