Breakdown of De peuter is hangerig en huilerig; hij is immers ziek.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
en
and
ziek
sick
immers
after all (giving a reason)
de peuter
the toddler
hangerig
clingy / listless
huilerig
weepy / teary
Questions & Answers about De peuter is hangerig en huilerig; hij is immers ziek.
How do we get the word hangerig for "clingy"?
It comes from the verb hangen (to hang). By taking the stem hang and adding the suffix -erig, we create an adjective that describes a tendency or mild behavioral state. Literally, the toddler is "tending to hang (onto you)", which translates perfectly to "clingy" in English.
Does huilerig follow the exact same pattern as hangerig?
Yes! It takes the stem huil (from huilen, to cry) and adds -erig. The suffix turns the verb into an adjective meaning "tending to cry" or "weepy". Adding -erig is a very common way in Dutch to describe mild, often slightly negative or annoying, moods and behaviors.
Could I use namelijk instead of immers here to mean "after all" or "because"?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Both words introduce a reason, but immers implies the listener already knows or can easily guess the reason ("as you might expect"). namelijk is used when you are providing new information. Since it is obvious that being sick causes a toddler to be clingy and weepy, immers is the most natural choice here.
Why is there a semicolon here instead of just saying want hij is ziek?
A semicolon connects two independent but closely related sentences, just like in English. If you used the coordinating conjunction want (because), you would just use a comma: , want hij is ziek. The author chose two separate clauses to create a slight pause, relying on the word immers in the second clause to act as the logical bridge between them.
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