Breakdown of Die robijn is me te donker.
zijn
to be
te
too
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
donker
dark
me
me (unstressed form of mij)
de robijn
the ruby
Questions & Answers about Die robijn is me te donker.
Why does the sentence use just me instead of voor mij to mean "for me"?
With evaluative adjectives like donker (especially when paired with te), Dutch often uses a bare object pronoun instead of a prepositional phrase. This is called a dative complement. It shows who holds the opinion or experiences the condition without needing a word like voor.
Where exactly does the pronoun me have to sit in this sentence structure?
The dative pronoun (me) sits directly before the adjective phrase it complements (te donker). Since this is a simple main clause with no other objects or adverbs, it naturally falls right between the verb is and the adjective.
Could I use the stressed pronoun mij instead of the unstressed me here?
Yes, you can say Die robijn is mij te donker. You would use the stressed form mij if you want to emphasize your personal opinion, contrasting it with someone else's. For example: "You might like it, but it is too dark for me."
Does this bare dative structure only work when the adjective is preceded by te?
It is extremely common with te (meaning "too"), but it also works with other evaluative adjectives that express clarity, difficulty, or familiarity. For example, you will also frequently see sentences like Dat is me duidelijk (That is clear to me) or Dit boek is hem onbekend (This book is unknown to him).
Learn Die robijn is me te donker 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