Question 1

Is the relative clause in this sentence restrictive or non-restrictive?

Accepted Answer

It is a restrictive relative clause (beperkende relatieve bijzin) because it defines exactly which shoes you refuse to buy: only the stiff ones. You can tell because there is no comma before die. If you added a comma, it would become a non-restrictive clause, bizarrely suggesting you don't buy shoes at all because shoes in general are too stiff!

Question 2

Why do we use die instead of dat to refer back to the shoes?

Accepted Answer

We use die because schoenen is plural. For all plural nouns, the relative pronoun is always die, regardless of whether the singular noun is a de-word or a het-word (though in this case, it is de schoen anyway).

Question 3

Could I use stijf instead of stug for stiff shoes?

Accepted Answer

You could, but stug is the more natural choice here. stug means rigid, inflexible, or hard to bend, which perfectly describes stiff shoe material like thick leather. stijf is more commonly used for stiff muscles or a rigid body posture.

Question 4

As a quick refresher, why is this sentence negated with geen instead of niet?

Accepted Answer

We use geen because it negates an indefinite noun (schoenen without an article). If you were refusing to buy a specific pair of shoes you were just pointing at, you would use a definite article and niet, like this: Ik koop de schoenen niet.

Ik koop geen schoenen die te stug zijn.

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