Breakdown of Niet dat jouw suggestie tekortschiet, maar we willen niemands werk afkraken.
niet
not
maar
but
wij
we
het werk
the work
Questions & Answers about Niet dat jouw suggestie tekortschiet, maar we willen niemands werk afkraken.
How does niet dat affect the word order in the first part of the sentence?
The phrase niet dat introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, subordinate clauses push the conjugated verb to the end, which is why tekortschiet sits at the comma. Using niet dat like this is a very natural way to preemptively clear up a misunderstanding before making your actual point.
tekortschieten is a separable verb. Why is it written as one combined word here?
In a normal main clause, separable verbs split, and the prefix moves to the end (for example: jouw suggestie schiet tekort). But because niet dat creates a subordinate clause, all verb parts are pushed to the end of the clause, where they reunite into the single word tekortschiet.
Why doesn't the word order invert after the comma? Shouldn't the verb come right after maar?
The word maar is a coordinating conjunction. It links clauses together but does not occupy a grammatical position within the new clause itself. Therefore, the second clause starts completely fresh with the standard subject-verb order: we willen.
Is niemands functioning exactly like the English word 'nobody's'?