Breakdown of Deze kriebelige trui is lastig te wassen.
zijn
to be
wassen
to wash
deze
this / these
de trui
the sweater
te
to (infinitive marker)
lastig
tricky / difficult (troublesome)
kriebelig
tickly / itchy
Questions & Answers about Deze kriebelige trui is lastig te wassen.
The lesson is about the suffix -erig, but this word is kriebelig. Why doesn't it have the -erig suffix?
The stem of the word is kriebel (from the verb kriebelen, to itch or tickle). When a word stem already ends in -el or -er, adding -erig (making it kriebelerig) sounds too repetitive. Instead, Dutch just adds -ig to these stems to create the exact same meaning of a mild state or tendency.
Does kriebelig imply the sweater is extremely itchy?
No, it implies a mild state. The suffix -erig (or in this case, just -ig) softens the meaning. A kriebelige trui is somewhat scratchy, tickly, or mildly irritating, rather than causing a severe itch.
Why is there an -e at the end of kriebelige?
Because it comes directly before the noun it describes (trui). Since trui is a de-word and is preceded by the demonstrative deze, the adjective gets the standard -e ending.
Is the structure lastig te wassen exactly the same as English 'hard to wash'?
Yes! When describing how easy, difficult, fun, or annoying it is to do something to an object, Dutch uses an adjective + te + infinitive, which mirrors the English structure perfectly. You will also see this in phrases like makkelijk te begrijpen (easy to understand).
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