Breakdown of Hij lust de bittere paprika niet en de spruit evenmin.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
en
and
niet
not
lusten
to like (the taste of)
evenmin
nor / neither (also not)
de spruit
Brussels sprout
bitter
bitter
de paprika
bell pepper
Questions & Answers about Hij lust de bittere paprika niet en de spruit evenmin.
How does evenmin work here, and why is it placed at the very end of the sentence?
Evenmin translates to 'nor' or 'neither'. The second half of this sentence is a shortened clause; it implies en hij lust de spruit evenmin. Because evenmin functions similarly to the negation adverb niet, it naturally sits at the end of this clause, just as niet often goes at the end of a sentence.
Could I change the word order and say en evenmin de spruit?
Yes, you can. When placed right after en, evenmin acts more like a coordinating conjunction linking the two objects directly. Both versions are completely natural to a Dutch speaker, though placing it at the end gives slightly stronger emphasis to the negation.
Why use the verb lust instead of houdt niet van?
The verb lusten is exclusively used for enjoying the taste of food and drinks. While hij houdt niet van de bittere paprika is grammatically correct, using lusten is the most common and direct way to express whether you like or dislike eating a specific item in Dutch.
Does paprika refer to the powdered spice or the fresh vegetable here?
In Dutch, de paprika refers to the fresh vegetable, known as a bell pepper in English. If you want to talk about the dried spice, you must use the specific word het paprikapoeder.
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