Breakdown of Waar de metaaldetector ook piept, de onvermoeibare man begint te graven.
de man
the man
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
beginnen
to begin
waar
where
te
to (infinitive marker)
graven
to dig
de metaaldetector
the metal detector
piepen
to beep
onvermoeibaar
tireless
Questions & Answers about Waar de metaaldetector ook piept, de onvermoeibare man begint te graven.
How does waar ... ook translate to "wherever"?
Adding ook to a question word like waar (where), wie (who), or wat (what) creates a universal concessive clause, changing the meaning to "wherever", "whoever", or "whatever". Because it functions as a subclause, the verb (piept) is pushed to the end of that clause.
Why isn't there inversion in the main clause (begint de onvermoeibare man)?
This is a major exception to the normal Dutch word order rules! While starting a sentence with a standard subclause triggers inversion in the main clause, these "wherever/whoever" clauses with ook usually do not. The main clause simply keeps its standard subject-verb order: de onvermoeibare man begint.
How is the adjective onvermoeibare formed?
It is built from the prefix on- (un-), the verb vermoeien (to tire), and the suffix -baar (-able). The -e at the end is the standard adjective ending added because it precedes the noun man. Together, it literally translates to "untireable".
Why do we use te before graven?
The verb beginnen (to begin) belongs to a specific group of verbs that require te before a following infinitive. It works exactly like English here: he begins to dig (hij begint te graven).
Learn Waar de metaaldetector ook piept, de onvermoeibare man begint te graven 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