Breakdown of Deze taart bevat minstens vier ons amandelen.
vier
four
de taart
the cake
deze
this / these
bevatten
to contain
minstens
at least
het ons
100 grams
de amandel
almond
Questions & Answers about Deze taart bevat minstens vier ons amandelen.
Why is there no word for 'of' between vier ons and amandelen?
This is the core rule of noun phrase juxtaposition for quantities (nulvoorzetsel na maatwoorden). While English uses a preposition ('four ounces OF almonds'), Dutch simply places the exact measurement (vier ons) immediately before the substance (amandelen) without using van.
Why is vier ons translated as '400 grams' instead of 'four ounces'?
In the Netherlands, an ons is an informal metric measurement that equals exactly 100 grams. Therefore, vier ons is exactly 400 grams. You will hear Dutch people use this term very frequently when ordering cheese, meats, or nuts at a market.
Shouldn't ons be plural since there are four of them?
No, words indicating a measurement of weight, capacity, or length (such as ons, kilo, gram, meter) typically stay in the singular form when they are preceded by an exact number. So you say vier ons, not vier onzen.
I've seen ten minste used for 'at least'. Is minstens the same thing?
Yes, minstens and ten minste both mean 'at least' when talking about a minimum amount. They are completely interchangeable in this sentence, though minstens is slightly shorter and very common in everyday speech.
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