Breakdown of Zij verkijkt zich op het probleem en daardoor escaleert de ruzie.
zij
she
en
and
het probleem
the problem
de ruzie
the argument
zich verkijken op
to misjudge
daardoor
because of that / as a result
escaleren
to escalate
Questions & Answers about Zij verkijkt zich op het probleem en daardoor escaleert de ruzie.
Why is the word order escaleert de ruzie instead of de ruzie escaleert?
This happens because of the causal adverb daardoor. In Dutch, when a main clause starts with an adverb like daardoor (because of that), it takes the first position in the sentence. This triggers V2 inversion, meaning the conjugated verb (escaleert) must immediately follow in the second position, pushing the subject (de ruzie) to the third position.
Doesn't the word en count as the first position in that clause?
No, coordinating conjunctions like en (and), maar (but), and of (or) occupy "position zero." They connect sentences but do not count towards the word order of the new clause. Therefore, daardoor is treated as position one, keeping the verb escaleert correctly in position two.
What kind of verb is verkijkt zich op?
It is the reflexive verb zich verkijken op, which means "to misjudge" or "to underestimate." It requires both a reflexive pronoun (here, zich to match the subject zij) and the fixed preposition op. Literally, it is like saying she "looks wrong at" the problem.
Could I use daarom instead of daardoor in this sentence?
While learners often mix them up, daardoor is the most natural choice here. Daardoor expresses a direct cause-and-effect relationship (a circumstance simply causes an outcome), which perfectly fits an argument escalating. Daarom is used for reasons (a circumstance is the reason a person decides to take an action). Since the escalation of an argument isn't a conscious decision, daardoor is the proper fit.
Learn Zij verkijkt zich op het probleem en daardoor escaleert de ruzie 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