Breakdown of Die enorme blokken kloven is vreselijk afmattend.
zijn
to be
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
enorm
enormous
vreselijk
awful, dreadful
kloven
to split (wood)
het blok
the log / the block
afmattend
exhausting
Questions & Answers about Die enorme blokken kloven is vreselijk afmattend.
Why is the word order Die enorme blokken kloven instead of Kloven die enorme blokken?
In English, a gerund phrase usually starts with the "-ing" verb ("Splitting those huge logs"). In Dutch, when you use an entire phrase as the subject, the infinitive verb goes at the very end of that phrase. Any objects or modifiers must come before it. So, you literally say "Those huge logs to split is..."
Is afmattend a standard adjective, or does it come from a verb?
It is the present participle of the separable verb afmatten, which means "to exhaust" or "to wear out". Just like in English where "exhaust" becomes "exhausting", Dutch adds -d to the infinitive to create an adjective describing something that causes that state.
Why is "logs" translated as blokken here instead of a word like boomstammen?
A boomstam is a full tree trunk. Once a trunk is sawed into shorter, thick, cylindrical pieces meant to be split for firewood, the Dutch call them houtblokken or simply blokken (literally "blocks").
Applying this lesson's topic, how would you say "I have been splitting those huge logs"?
You would use the continuous aan het structure in the present perfect tense with geweest: Ik ben die enorme blokken aan het kloven geweest. This perfectly emphasizes that the exhausting activity was ongoing for a period of time in the past.
Learn Die enorme blokken kloven is vreselijk afmattend 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