Breakdown of Ze luistert met gefronste wenkbrauwen, zonder dat ze iets zegt.
met
with
zeggen
to say
luisteren
to listen
iets
something
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
zonder dat
without (conjunction)
de wenkbrauw
the eyebrow
fronsen
to frown
Questions & Answers about Ze luistert met gefronste wenkbrauwen, zonder dat ze iets zegt.
The lesson is about absolute constructions with met. Is met gefronste wenkbrauwen one of those?
It expresses the exact same idea of an accompanying circumstance, but structurally it is a regular prepositional phrase (met + adjective + noun). A classic absolute construction places the participle after the noun, like met de wenkbrauwen gefronst. Both are correct, but the version in this sentence is much more common in everyday speech.
Why use zonder dat ze iets zegt instead of zonder iets te zeggen?
Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing. You use zonder dat when you want to introduce a full subclause (which pushes the verb zegt to the end). Since the subject (ze) is the same in both halves of the sentence, using the shorter infinitive phrase zonder iets te zeggen would also be a very natural choice here.
Does fronzen mean the exact same thing as the English word 'frown'?
Not exactly. While 'frown' in English often means turning the corners of your mouth down in sadness or anger, the Dutch fronzen specifically refers to furrowing your brow or knitting your eyebrows in concentration, confusion, or concern. That is why it is almost always paired with wenkbrauwen (eyebrows) or voorhoofd (forehead).
Why is there an -e at the end of gefronste?
Gefronst is the past participle of the verb fronzen. Here it is being used as an adjective modifying the noun wenkbrauwen. Because wenkbrauwen is a plural noun, the adjective takes the standard -e ending.
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