Breakdown of Zijn accent is zo sterk dat hij amper verstaanbaar is.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zo
so (to such a degree)
sterk
strong
dat
that (conjunction)
amper
barely / scarcely (only just)
het accent
the accent
verstaanbaar
intelligible / understandable
Questions & Answers about Zijn accent is zo sterk dat hij amper verstaanbaar is.
The current lesson is about constructions like 'moeilijk te verstaan'. Could we use that structure here instead of 'verstaanbaar'?
Yes! You could say ...dat hij amper te verstaan is. Both mean essentially the same thing. The suffix -baar acts just like the English suffix '-able'. For many actions, adding -baar to a verb stem to create an adjective is a common alternative to the te + infinitive structure you are practicing.
Why does this sentence use 'verstaanbaar' instead of 'begrijpelijk' (understandable)?
Verstaan refers to physically hearing and making out the spoken sounds, which is the exact problem when someone has a strong accent. Begrijpen means to intellectually understand a concept or meaning. If a speaker mumbles, they are hard to verstaan; if their ideas make no sense, they are hard to begrijpen.
Could I use 'nauwelijks' or 'bijna niet' instead of 'amper'?
Absolutely, all three are interchangeable here. Amper and nauwelijks both mean 'hardly' or 'barely', while bijna niet literally means 'almost not'. Any of these would sound perfectly natural to a native speaker in this sentence.
Just as a refresher, why is the verb 'is' pushed all the way to the end?
The word dat (that) acts as a subordinating conjunction here, introducing a subordinate clause that explains the result of the strong accent. In Dutch, subordinate clauses trigger 'verb-final' word order, pushing the conjugated verb is to the very end of the phrase.
Learn Zijn accent is zo sterk dat hij amper verstaanbaar is and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free