Breakdown of De service is feilloos; u hoeft het maar te vragen of de limousine staat klaar.
zijn
to be
u
you (formal)
het
it
vragen
to ask
hoeven
to need (to)
te
to (infinitive marker)
de service
the service
maar
just, go ahead (softening particle)
of
when (after 'nauwelijks/amper')
klaarstaan
to stand ready
feilloos
flawless
de limousine
the limousine
Questions & Answers about De service is feilloos; u hoeft het maar te vragen of de limousine staat klaar.
Why is of used here instead of en to mean "and"?
This is the core of the hoeven maar te ... of ... structure. Whenever you use this pattern to say "you only have to do X and Y will happen," Dutch requires of to connect the two parts, even though it translates as "and" in English.
Why doesn't the word order change after of? Shouldn't the verb go to the end?
In this structure, of acts as a coordinating conjunction, just like en or maar. That means it connects two independent main clauses. Therefore, de limousine staat klaar keeps the normal subject-verb word order instead of pushing the verb to the end.
What is the literal meaning of feilloos?
It means "flawless" or "faultless." It combines feil (an old word for a fault or error, related to the English word "fail") with the suffix -loos (meaning "-less" or "without").
Why does klaarstaan split into staat klaar at the end of the sentence?
Because the phrase after of is a main clause, the separable verb klaarstaan (to stand ready) splits. The conjugated part (staat) takes the standard verb position, and the prefix (klaar) moves to the very end.
Learn De service is feilloos; u hoeft het maar te vragen of de limousine staat klaar and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free