Breakdown of De weerwolf is helaas een onsterfelijk monster.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
helaas
unfortunately
het monster
the monster
Questions & Answers about De weerwolf is helaas een onsterfelijk monster.
Why does helaas go right after the verb here?
helaas (unfortunately) is a sentence-level adverb of evaluation, meaning it expresses the speaker's opinion about the whole sentence. In Dutch, these adverbs are placed as early as possible in the middle field, right after the finite verb and the subject.
Could I start the sentence with helaas to make it sound more dramatic?
Yes, starting with the adverb highlights your evaluation. It would become Helaas is de weerwolf een onsterfelijk monster. Remember that moving helaas to the front triggers inversion, so the verb is must come right before the subject de weerwolf.
Why is there no -e at the end of onsterfelijk?
monster is a neuter noun (a het-word). When a neuter noun is introduced by the indefinite article een, the adjective before it does not get an -e ending. Even at a B2 level, this exception is easy to forget!
How is the word onsterfelijk formed?
It is built from the verb sterven (to die). Adding the suffix -lijk makes the adjective sterfelijk (mortal), and adding the negative prefix on- creates onsterfelijk (immortal).