Breakdown of We lijnen de titel rechtsonder uit, want dat is beter.
zijn
to be
dat
that (het-words)
want
because
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about We lijnen de titel rechtsonder uit, want dat is beter.
Why is the direction word rechtsonder written as one word, and could I say onderrechts instead?
Rechtsonder (bottom right) is a compound locative adverb. In Dutch, we combine horizontal directions (links, rechts) with vertical ones (boven, onder) into a single word to pinpoint an exact location. The horizontal direction always comes first, so onderrechts is incorrect.
Why is the word uit separated and placed right before the comma?
It is the prefix of the separable verb uitlijnen (to align). In a main clause, the conjugated part (lijnen) takes the second position, while the prefix (uit) gets pushed to the very end of that clause, wrapping around the object (de titel) and the adverb (rechtsonder).
Why is the word order normal after want? Doesn't 'because' send the verb to the end of the sentence?
Want (because) is a coordinating conjunction, meaning it simply connects two main clauses. Therefore, the word order remains normal (subject + verb). If you had used omdat (which also means because), it would act as a subordinating conjunction and push the verb to the end: ... omdat dat beter is.
Is uitlijnen used for lining up anything, like people or cars?