Breakdown of Je probeert je niet te verschrijven.
niet
not
proberen
to try
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
te
to (infinitive marker)
zich verschrijven
to make a writing mistake
Questions & Answers about Je probeert je niet te verschrijven.
What does the prefix ver- do to the verb schrijven here?
In this lesson's pattern, combining the prefix ver- with a reflexive pronoun (like je or zich) indicates making a mistake while performing the base action. Schrijven means to write, so zich verschrijven means to make a slip of the pen or a writing error.
Why are there two je's in this sentence?
The first je is the subject of the sentence (meaning you). The second je is the reflexive pronoun (meaning yourself) required by the verb zich verschrijven. In Dutch, the informal subject pronoun and its reflexive pronoun are identical.
Why is niet placed right before te verschrijven instead of earlier in the sentence?
Placement of niet depends on what you are negating. Here, you are not negating the verb proberen (you are indeed trying). You are negating the action in the infinitive clause. Placing niet immediately before te verschrijven translates directly to the English try not to make a writing mistake.
If I wanted to use the formal u instead of je, what would this sentence look like?
The subject je becomes u. For the reflexive pronoun, the formal form can be either u or zich. So the sentence becomes either U probeert u niet te verschrijven or U probeert zich niet te verschrijven.
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