Breakdown of Hij wil een vetarm dieet volgen.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
een
a/an
willen
to want
volgen
to follow
het dieet
the diet
vetarm
low-fat
Questions & Answers about Hij wil een vetarm dieet volgen.
How does the suffix -arm work in vetarm, and what is the literal meaning?
The suffix -arm literally means "poor," so vetarm translates to "poor in fat." In Dutch, this is the standard productive suffix to express "low-[substance]," corresponding to "low-fat" or "low-sodium" in English. Other common examples include suikerarm (low-sugar) and zuurstofarm (low-oxygen).
If he wanted a diet with absolutely zero fat, could we use a different suffix from this lesson?
Yes! You would use the suffix -vrij (free), making it een vetvrij dieet (a fat-free diet). You use -arm when a product has a reduced or low amount of a substance, and -vrij when that substance is completely eliminated.
Why is the adjective vetarm not written as vetarme in this sentence?
This is because dieet is a neuter noun (het dieet). When a het-word is preceded by the indefinite article een, the adjective modifying it does not get the standard -e ending. If we used the definite article instead, the ending would return: het vetarme dieet.
Why does volgen appear at the very end of the sentence?
This is standard Dutch word order for sentences with a modal verb. The conjugated modal verb wil takes the second position in the sentence, which forces the main infinitive verb volgen (to follow) to the very end of the clause.
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