Breakdown of Vanwege het feit dat hij een royale eetlust heeft, eet hij negen tiende van de ovenschotel op.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
een
a/an
hebben
to have
negen
nine
tiende
tenth (10th)
dat
that (conjunction)
het feit
the fact
vanwege
because of / due to (reason)
van
out of (in ratios, e.g. two out of five)
royaal
generous (ample, lavish)
de ovenschotel
the casserole
opeten
to eat up
de eetlust
the appetite
Questions & Answers about Vanwege het feit dat hij een royale eetlust heeft, eet hij negen tiende van de ovenschotel op.
Why is it negen tiende and not pluralized like negen tienden?
In English, we pluralize fractions (nine-tenths). In Dutch, when a fraction is used to express a quantity of something (especially followed by van), it typically remains singular. So, you say negen tiende van de ovenschotel. You usually only use the plural tienden when referring to the mathematical fractions themselves independently as countable nouns, rather than as an amount.
Why does the main clause use the inverted word order eet hij instead of hij eet?
The sentence starts with a long dependent clause (Vanwege het feit dat... heeft). In Dutch grammar, this entire clause takes up the first position of the main sentence. To satisfy the strict verb-second (V2) rule, the main verb eet must come immediately after the comma, bumping the subject hij to the third position.
Where does the op at the end of the sentence come from?
It is the prefix of the separable verb opeten (to eat up / to finish eating). In a main clause, the conjugated part of the verb (eet) takes the second position, while the separable prefix (op) is sent to the very end of the sentence.
How does vanwege het feit dat differ from just using omdat?
While omdat simply means 'because', vanwege het feit dat is a slightly more formal phrase meaning 'due to the fact that'. Vanwege on its own is a preposition (meaning 'due to' or 'because of') and must be followed by a noun or noun phrase, not a full clause. Adding het feit dat allows you to attach a full clause with a subject and a verb. This is a great structure to use at the B2 level to add stylistic variety to your writing!
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