Word
Wat de catalogus betreft, bevat die geen reclame.
Meaning
Regarding the catalog, it contains no advertisements.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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
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?