Breakdown of Deze woordenschat is makkelijk op te zoeken.
zijn
to be
deze
this / these
makkelijk
easy
te
to (infinitive marker)
opzoeken
to look up
de woordenschat
the vocabulary
Questions & Answers about Deze woordenschat is makkelijk op te zoeken.
Why is op te zoeken written as three separate words?
opzoeken (to look up) is a separable verb. In this "adjective + te + infinitive" construction, the word te must go between the separable prefix (op) and the base verb (zoeken). When this happens, Dutch spelling rules require all three parts to be written as separate words.
How do we know to use Deze instead of Dit for woordenschat?
woordenschat is a compound noun made from woorden (words) and schat (treasure). In Dutch, the final part of a compound determines its gender. Because it is de schat, the combined word is a de-word. Therefore, we use Deze (this) rather than Dit.
Why doesn't makkelijk get an -e ending here?
In this sentence, makkelijk is used as a predicative adjective. This means it describes the subject but is separated from it by the verb is, rather than being placed directly in front of the noun (as it would be in een makkelijke taal). Adjectives in this position never take an -e ending.
Can I use an om ... te construction to say this instead?
Yes, you could alternatively say Het is makkelijk om deze woordenschat op te zoeken (It is easy to look up this vocabulary). However, making the noun itself the subject, as seen in Deze woordenschat is makkelijk op te zoeken, is a very natural and common way Dutch speakers express this "easy to do" idea.
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