Word
Mijn baas neemt 's avonds nogal vaak een jenevertje.
Meaning
My boss quite often has a Dutch gin in the evening.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Mijn baas neemt 's avonds nogal vaak een jenevertje.
een
a/an
vaak
often
mijn
my
de baas
the boss
Questions & Answers about Mijn baas neemt 's avonds nogal vaak een jenevertje.
Why use the diminutive jenevertje here instead of just jenever?
Jenever on its own is an uncountable liquid (a mass noun). By adding the diminutive suffix to make it jenevertje, it transforms into a countable portion, meaning a single glass or shot of Dutch gin. This is a very common way to order or refer to specific servings of drinks in Dutch.
Why does this sentence use the verb neemt instead of drinkt?
In Dutch, nemen (to take) is frequently used when talking about casually consuming food or drinks, similar to how we say to have a drink in English. It implies treating oneself to a specific portion, which fits perfectly with the countable een jenevertje.
What exactly does nogal add to the phrase nogal vaak?
Nogal is an adverb meaning quite or rather. When placed before vaak (often), it modifies the frequency to mean quite often. Using nogal is a great way to make your Dutch sound more natural and conversational.
Why is the word order neemt 's avonds nogal vaak?
This follows the standard Dutch word order principle of Time before Manner or Frequency. The specific time element 's avonds (in the evening) comes earlier in the middle part of the sentence, followed by the frequency phrase nogal vaak (quite often).