Breakdown of Slijp jij je eigen stenen?
jij
you
je
your (unstressed)
de steen
stone
eigen
own
slijpen
to cut (gems) / to sharpen
Questions & Answers about Slijp jij je eigen stenen?
Why is the verb slijpen translated as "to cut" here? Doesn't it mean "to sharpen"?
While slijpen does mean "to sharpen" (like a knife or scissors) or "to grind", it is also the specific technical term used for shaping gemstones and diamonds. In English, you "cut" a diamond, but in Dutch, you "grind" or "polish" it (een diamant slijpen).
Why doesn't eigen get an -e ending here, since stenen is plural?
The adjective eigen (own) is a strict exception to Dutch adjective inflection rules. It never takes an -e ending, no matter the gender or number of the noun it modifies. It is always je eigen stenen, just as it is het eigen huis.
Why use the unaccented je for "your" right after the emphatic jij? Can I say "Slijp jij jouw eigen stenen?"
You can, but it sounds clunky. Dutch tends to avoid stacking multiple emphatic pronouns right next to each other. Since the subject is already the emphatic jij, it flows much better to use the unaccented possessive je immediately after it, unless you are making a heavy, deliberate contrast.
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