Question 1

Why do we use afgezien van here instead of just behalve?

Accepted Answer

While behalve means 'except', afgezien van translates closer to 'apart from' or 'disregarding'. It sets aside the exception (dit kleine gebrek) as a bracketed topic before making the main point, which sounds slightly more formal and fits perfectly with setting the stage before delivering the main clause.

Question 2

Since afgezien van dit kleine gebrek is such a long phrase, why doesn't it push the verb further back?

Accepted Answer

No matter how long a prepositional phrase is, it acts as a single block occupying the first position of the sentence. Because Dutch uses strict V2 (verb-second) word order in main clauses, the finite verb zal must immediately follow this entire introductory bracket, resulting in the subject (de aannemer) inverting to the third position.

Question 3

Let's review adjective endings: why is it dit kleine gebrek and not deze or klein?

Accepted Answer

Gebrek is a neuter noun (het gebrek), so we use the demonstrative dit (this) instead of deze. The adjective kleine gets an -e ending because adjectives before neuter nouns only drop the -e when they follow an indefinite article (een) or no article. Since dit acts as a definite marker, the -e is required.

Question 4

Why use verhelpen here instead of common verbs like repareren or maken?

Accepted Answer

Verhelpen specifically means to remedy or rectify a problem, fault, or defect (like a gebrek). You use repareren or maken when physically fixing a broken object (like a window or a bike), but you use verhelpen when resolving an abstract issue or removing a flaw.

Afgezien van dit kleine gebrek zal de aannemer alles verhelpen.

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