Breakdown of Wat men ook op de akker verbergt, de schatzoeker zal erop stuiten.
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
op
on
wat
what
zullen
shall / will
erop
on it
men
one / people (general)
verbergen
to hide (conceal)
de schatzoeker
the treasure hunter
de akker
the farmland
stuiten op
to stumble upon
Questions & Answers about Wat men ook op de akker verbergt, de schatzoeker zal erop stuiten.
Why isn't there inversion in the second half of the sentence? Shouldn't it be "zal de schatzoeker"?
Normally, starting a sentence with a subclause forces the main clause to invert (putting the verb before the subject). However, universal concessive clauses like Wat men ook... are an exception. They do not trigger inversion, so the main clause keeps its standard subject-verb order: de schatzoeker zal.
How does the wat ... ook structure work here?
This structure translates to "whatever". It is formed using a question word like wat (what), followed by the subject men (one), the word ook (ever), and finishes with the verb at the end (verbergt). You can use this exact same pattern with wie (whoever) or waar (wherever).
Why is it erop stuiten instead of op het stuiten?
The verb stuiten is paired with the preposition op to mean "stumble upon". In Dutch, when a preposition like op refers back to a non-living thing (whatever was hidden), you must combine er with the preposition. Thus, op het becomes the pronominal adverb erop.
Does stuiten always mean "to stumble upon"?
By itself, stuiten usually means "to bounce" or "to be halted". But when paired with the preposition op, forming stuiten op, it takes on the figurative meaning of "to encounter" or "to stumble upon" something unexpectedly.
Is the pronoun men commonly used in spoken Dutch?
Men is a formal, impersonal pronoun meaning "one" or "people in general". While you will frequently see it in literature or formal texts, everyday spoken Dutch almost always uses je or ze instead, making it Wat je ook verbergt... in casual conversation.
Learn Wat men ook op de akker verbergt, de schatzoeker zal erop stuiten 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