Breakdown of De eigenaar zal de borg terugstorten, tenzij er nieuwe gebreken zijn.
zijn
to be
nieuw
new
zullen
shall / will
er
there (existential)
de eigenaar
the owner
tenzij
unless
het gebrek
defect
de borg
deposit
terugstorten
to refund
Questions & Answers about De eigenaar zal de borg terugstorten, tenzij er nieuwe gebreken zijn.
The current lesson is about using afgezien van to set aside exceptions. Could we use it here instead of tenzij?
Not exactly as written. Tenzij (unless) is a conjunction that introduces a full clause with its own verb (zijn). Afgezien van (apart from / except for) is a preposition, meaning it must be followed by a noun phrase, not a full clause. To use it, you would have to rephrase the sentence: Afgezien van nieuwe gebreken, zal de eigenaar de borg terugstorten (Apart from new defects, the owner will refund the deposit).
Why is the verb zijn pushed to the very end of the second clause?
Because tenzij acts as a subordinating conjunction here. Just like omdat or hoewel, it introduces a dependent clause and sends the working verb (zijn) to the end of that clause.
Why use terugstorten for 'refund' instead of a general word like terugbetalen?
While terugbetalen simply means 'to pay back', terugstorten is highly specific to bank transfers. Storten means to wire or deposit money into an account, so terugstorten literally means to transfer that money back. It is the most natural and precise choice when talking about an official security deposit (de borg).
Why is er used in tenzij er nieuwe gebreken zijn?
This is the Dutch equivalent of the English 'there' in 'there are'. Dutch requires er as a placeholder subject when you introduce an undefined or non-specific subject into a sentence. Because nieuwe gebreken (new defects) is indefinite—it does not use 'de' (the) or 'die' (those)—er must step in to introduce it.
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