Breakdown of De pectine is helemaal opgelost.
zijn
to be
helemaal
completely
de pectine
the pectin
oplossen
to dissolve (in a liquid)
Questions & Answers about De pectine is helemaal opgelost.
Why do we use is here instead of heeft?
Because the verb oplossen (to dissolve) is indicating a change of state happening to the subject itself (De pectine). When a verb describes a change of state without a direct object, we use zijn for the perfect tense. If a person were actively dissolving the pectin in a liquid, it would take a direct object and use hebben (e.g., Ik heb de pectine opgelost).
Why is the past participle opgelost and not geoplossen?
The verb oplossen is a separable verb made of op + lossen. For the past participle, the ge- goes between the prefix and the root, creating opgelost. It ends in a -t rather than -d or -en because it is a regular weak verb and the stem (los) ends in s, which is a voiceless consonant (the 't kofschip rule).
Can oplossen also mean 'to solve'?
Yes! Oplossen means both to dissolve in a liquid and to solve a problem. However, when it means 'to solve', it is always a transitive action done by someone to a problem, so it always uses hebben (e.g., Zij heeft het mysterie opgelost). It only uses zijn when it means 'to dissolve' intransitively, as in this sentence.
Could I place helemaal at the end of the sentence?