Breakdown of Wat de catalogus betreft, bevat die geen reclame.
geen
no / not any
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
bevatten
to contain
betreffen
to concern / to regard
wat
that / which (relative)
de catalogus
the catalog
de reclame
the advertisement / commercial
Questions & Answers about Wat de catalogus betreft, bevat die geen reclame.
Why does the main clause start with the verb bevat instead of the subject die?
The phrase wat de catalogus betreft acts as a single block occupying the first position in the sentence. Because Dutch has a Verb-Second (V2) rule, the finite verb bevat must take the second position. This pushes the subject die right after the verb, causing a mandatory inversion.
Is it also possible to say wat betreft de catalogus without splitting the phrase?
Why use die here instead of a normal pronoun like hij?
Because catalogus is a de-word, you could technically use hij (he/it). However, Dutch speakers frequently use the demonstrative pronoun die (that one) to refer back to a recently mentioned noun. It creates a stronger, more natural link back to the topic you just established in the first clause.
Why do we use geen instead of niet to negate the advertising?
Reclame (advertising) is treated as an uncountable noun here, without a definite article like de or het. In Dutch, you use geen (no or not any) to negate an indefinite or uncountable noun, whereas niet is used to negate verbs, adjectives, or specific definite nouns.
Learn Wat de catalogus betreft, bevat die geen reclame 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