Breakdown of Wat de pizza betreft, eten wij drie vijfde op.
wij
we
drie
three
vijfde
fifth (5th)
de pizza
the pizza
Questions & Answers about Wat de pizza betreft, eten wij drie vijfde op.
Why is there no plural ending on vijfde, even though we say "three-fifths" in English?
In Dutch, when writing fractions with a cardinal number (like drie) and an ordinal word (like vijfde), the ordinal remains singular even if the numerator is greater than one. You just write drie vijfde. A plural -s or -n is only added if you are talking about physical objects acting as nouns, like specific musical notes or coins.
How do you use the Wat ... betreft construction?
Wat ... betreft is a fixed phrase that translates to "as for" or "regarding". You simply place the subject you want to highlight between the two words. Another very common variation you will hear is wat mij betreft, which means "as far as I am concerned".
Why does the verb eten come before the subject wij?
The introductory phrase Wat de pizza betreft takes up the first position in the sentence. Because Dutch follows the verb-second (V2) rule in main clauses, the conjugated verb eten must immediately follow this phrase, causing the subject wij to invert and come after the verb.
What is the word op doing at the end of the sentence?