Word
Haar gewicht schommelt helaas erg veel.
Meaning
Her weight unfortunately fluctuates very much.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Haar gewicht schommelt helaas erg veel.
veel
much / many / a lot of
erg
very / really
haar
her
helaas
unfortunately
Questions & Answers about Haar gewicht schommelt helaas erg veel.
The verb schommelt translates to "fluctuates" here, but doesn't it literally mean something else?
Yes, schommelen literally means "to swing" (like on a playground swing, which is called een schommel). In contexts involving numbers, prices, moods, or weight, it's the standard verb for "to fluctuate" or "to go up and down." Because of this up-and-down meaning, it perfectly sets the stage for the dan weer ... dan weer structure you are learning in this lesson.
How could I describe her weight fluctuation using the dan weer ... dan weer structure from this lesson?
You could use it to describe the specific extremes of the fluctuation. For example: Haar gewicht is dan weer hoog, dan weer laag (Her weight is sometimes high, sometimes low). The verb schommelen essentially summarizes this exact "up and down" behavior in a single word.
Why use erg veel instead of the more common heel veel?
Both mean "very much" or "a lot," and they are often interchangeable. However, erg can sometimes carry a slightly negative or problematic undertone (similar to "terribly" or "awfully" in English). Because the speaker is expressing that this fluctuation is unfortunate (helaas), erg veel fits the slightly negative mood of the sentence better than the completely neutral heel veel.
What dictates the word order of helaas erg veel at the end of the sentence?