Breakdown of Mijn laarzen, die erg versleten zijn, zijn nog repareerbaar.
zijn
to be
erg
very / really
mijn
my
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
die
who / that (relative pronoun)
repareerbaar
repairable
de laars
the boot
versleten
worn out
Questions & Answers about Mijn laarzen, die erg versleten zijn, zijn nog repareerbaar.
Why are there commas around die erg versleten zijn?
This is a non-restrictive (or uitbreidende) relative clause. The commas show that you are just adding extra, non-essential information about your boots. If you removed the commas, it would become a restrictive (beperkende) clause, implying you have multiple pairs of boots and are specifically singling out the worn-out ones.
Why does the sentence say zijn, zijn right in the middle?
The first zijn is the verb sent to the end of the relative subclause. The second zijn is the main verb of the entire sentence. Because the whole subject phrase (Mijn laarzen, die erg versleten zijn) occupies the first position in the main sentence, the main verb must come immediately after it to follow the verb-second (V2) rule.
Why do we use die instead of dat here?
The relative pronoun refers back to laarzen (boots). Because laarzen is a plural noun, it takes die. You only use dat to refer back to singular het words.
What is the infinitive form of the adjective versleten?
The infinitive is verslijten (to wear out). Here, the past participle versleten is being used as an adjective meaning 'worn out'. It is an irregular strong verb, which is why the vowel changes from ij to e.
How does the word repareerbaar get its meaning?
It uses the suffix -baar, which works exactly like the English suffix '-able'. You attach it to the stem of a verb (here, repareren, meaning 'to repair') to create an adjective describing something that can be done.
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