Breakdown of De winstmarge schijnt niet onrealistisch te zijn.
zijn
to be
niet
not
te
to (infinitive marker)
schijnen
to seem / be said to (hearsay)
Questions & Answers about De winstmarge schijnt niet onrealistisch te zijn.
Why does the speaker use the double negative niet onrealistisch instead of just saying realistisch?
This is a rhetorical device called litotes (deliberate understatement). By negating the opposite (onrealistisch), the speaker is actually making a strong, though cautious, affirmation. In a business context like discussing a winstmarge (profit margin), it implies that the margin is actually quite plausible or solid, often used to push back against someone else's prior doubts.
Could I use lijkt instead of schijnt to mean 'appears' in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Lijken implies an impression based on your own direct observation ('it looks realistic to me'). Schijnen implies an impression based on hearsay, rumors, or external reports ('I have heard or read that it is realistic'). Since profit margins are usually calculated and reported by others, schijnt is a very natural choice here.
Do I always need to add te zijn at the end with verbs like schijnen?
Yes, generally. Unlike English where you can say 'It seems unrealistic', Dutch verbs of appearance like schijnen, blijken (to turn out), and lijken (to appear) often function as auxiliary verbs and require a te plus infinitive construction. So, you pair schijnt with te zijn (to be) to grammatically link the adjective to the subject.
How is the 'g' in winstmarge pronounced?