Breakdown of Leer dat nat wordt, wordt stug.
worden
to become
dat
that/which (relative pronoun)
nat
wet
het leer
the leather
stug
stiff (inflexible, stubborn)
Questions & Answers about Leer dat nat wordt, wordt stug.
Why is there no comma before dat in this sentence?
This is a restrictive relative clause. It restricts the meaning of leer to only the leather that gets wet. Because the clause is essential to the sentence's core meaning, you do not place a comma before dat.
Why are there two verbs wordt right next to each other?
The first wordt is the verb of the relative clause (dat nat wordt), which goes to the end of that clause. The second wordt is the main verb of the sentence. The entire block Leer dat nat wordt acts as the subject of the main clause, and in a regular main clause, the verb comes immediately after the subject.
Why do we use dat as the relative pronoun instead of die?
The word leer (leather) is a neuter noun (het leer). For singular het words, the relative pronoun is always dat. If it were a de word, like de jas (the coat), you would use die.
Could I say dat wordt nat instead of dat nat wordt?
No, because a relative clause is a type of subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb is pushed to the end. Therefore, nat must come before wordt.
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