Breakdown of De geslepen edelsteen is hem te klein.
zijn
to be
klein
small
te
too
hem
him
de edelsteen
the gemstone
slijpen
to cut (gems) / to sharpen
Questions & Answers about De geslepen edelsteen is hem te klein.
Why does the sentence use hem directly instead of voor hem?
This is an example of dative complementation. With evaluative adjectives (especially those modified by te, meaning 'too'), Dutch often drops the preposition voor (for) and places the object pronoun (hem) directly before the adjective phrase. While is te klein voor hem is also grammatically correct, is hem te klein is smoother and highly typical for Dutch.
Edelsteen is a de word, so shouldn't the adjective get an -e ending? Why isn't it geslepene?
Geslepen (cut/polished) is the past participle of the strong verb slijpen. Because it already ends in -en, it never gets an extra -e ending when used as an adjective before a noun. This is the same rule that applies to other strong past participles (like gebroken) and adjectives describing materials (like houten or gouden).
If I wanted to use a name instead of the pronoun hem, would the word order change?
The structure remains exactly the same. You would say De geslepen edelsteen is Peter te klein. Just like the pronoun, the dative noun (the person experiencing the evaluation) sits right before the adjective phrase it complements.
Can I use this dative structure with any adjective?
No, this specific 'preposition-less' dative structure is mostly reserved for evaluative adjectives that describe how something fits, feels, or relates to a specific person. It is very common with adjectives of size, weight, or difficulty (like te groot, te zwaar, te moeilijk), but you cannot use it for general or objective descriptions like is hem rood (is red to him).
Learn De geslepen edelsteen is hem te klein 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