Breakdown of Dan weer lacht ze, dan weer huilt ze.
zij
she
lachen
to laugh
huilen
to cry
dan weer
now ... then / sometimes (alternating)
Questions & Answers about Dan weer lacht ze, dan weer huilt ze.
What exactly does dan weer ... dan weer imply compared to just saying soms lacht ze, soms huilt ze?
While soms just means 'sometimes', the paired structure dan weer ... dan weer emphasizes a rapid, erratic, or continuous fluctuation between two contrasting states. It translates closely to 'now she laughs, now she cries' or 'one moment she laughs, the next she cries.'
What is the literal meaning of dan weer, and how does it help make sense of this structure?
Literally, dan means 'then' and weer means 'again'. If you think of it as 'then again she laughs, then again she cries', it perfectly captures the back-and-forth bouncing between the two actions.
Why are the subjects and verbs inverted (lacht ze and huilt ze) in both halves of the sentence?
This is the standard Dutch V2 (verb-second) rule in action. Because each clause begins with the adverbial phrase dan weer, the verb must take the second position, which pushes the subject to the third position.
Why is there no conjunction like en (and) connecting these two clauses?
You do not need a conjunction because dan weer ... dan weer acts as a coordinating pair. The paired adverbs themselves link the two independent clauses together across the comma without requiring extra joining words.
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