Breakdown of Deze fles olijfolie is peperduur, maar de kwaliteit is uitstekend.
zijn
to be
maar
but
de fles
the bottle
deze
this / these
de kwaliteit
the quality
uitstekend
excellent
peperduur
exorbitantly expensive
de olijfolie
olive oil
Questions & Answers about Deze fles olijfolie is peperduur, maar de kwaliteit is uitstekend.
Why is there no word for "of" between fles and olijfolie?
This is a classic example of the "zero preposition" rule for measure words. In Dutch, when you have a container or a measure (like fles, bottle) followed by the substance it holds (olijfolie, olive oil), you just place them directly next to each other. You do not use van to translate the English "of".
What is the literal meaning of peperduur?
It literally means "pepper expensive". Dutch frequently uses nouns as prefixes to intensify adjectives. Because pepper was historically a very costly spice in the Netherlands, peperduur became the standard, expressive way to say "extremely expensive".
Does the word uitstekend come from a verb?
Yes, it is the present participle of the verb uitsteken, which means "to stick out". If something "sticks out" above all the others, it is "outstanding" or "excellent".
How can I easily remember the gender of kwaliteit?
Any Dutch noun ending in the suffix -iteit (which often translates to "-ity" in English) is always a de word. This is a very consistent rule that also applies to words like universiteit and identiteit.
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