Breakdown of Deze edelsteen is me te duur.
zijn
to be
duur
expensive
te
too
deze
this / these
me
me (unstressed form of mij)
de edelsteen
the gemstone
Questions & Answers about Deze edelsteen is me te duur.
Why does the sentence use me directly instead of voor mij (for me)?
Both are grammatically correct, but using a bare object pronoun (like me) right before an evaluative adjective (like te duur) is a very common Dutch structure. It acts as a dative complement, meaning the pronoun represents the person experiencing the effect of the adjective. This structure sounds very natural and often slightly more idiomatic than using the preposition voor.
Can I use the stressed pronoun mij instead of me in this structure?
Yes, Deze edelsteen is mij te duur is perfectly correct. However, you would only use the stressed mij if you want to emphasize that it is too expensive for you specifically, perhaps in contrast to someone else who might be able to afford it. Because this structure is usually just expressing a subjective feeling, the unstressed me is the most common choice.
Does the pronoun always have to come before the adjective in this type of sentence?
Yes. When you use this dative structure without a preposition, the pronoun (me) must be placed directly before the adjective phrase it modifies (te duur). You cannot say is te duur me. If you decide to use the preposition instead, the phrase moves to the end: Deze edelsteen is te duur voor mij.
As a quick refresher, why do we use Deze instead of Dit for edelsteen?
The word edelsteen (gemstone) is a compound noun. In Dutch, the gender of a compound noun is always determined by its final part. Since steen (stone) is a de-word (de steen), the entire compound is de edelsteen. We always use deze (this/these) with de-words and plural nouns, while dit is reserved for singular het-words.
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