Breakdown of Het is dat we in tijdnood zitten, anders was een etentje niet ondenkbaar.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
niet
not
in
in
het
it
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
dat
that (conjunction)
anders
otherwise / differently
zitten
to fit / be (in a state)
ondenkbaar
unthinkable
het etentje
the dinner (informal)
de tijdnood
the lack of time
Questions & Answers about Het is dat we in tijdnood zitten, anders was een etentje niet ondenkbaar.
How does the phrase Het is dat set up the meaning of this sentence?
Het is dat translates to 'It is just that' or 'The only reason is that'. It is used to introduce the real, factual situation that prevents a hypothetical scenario from happening. Here, the real situation is being short on time, which prevents the hypothetical dinner. Notice that the clause following it (we in tijdnood zitten) uses subordinate clause word order with the conjugated verb at the end.
What does the expression in tijdnood zitten mean literally?
It literally means 'to sit in time-need' or 'time-distress'. The noun de nood means need, distress, or emergency. You can attach it to other nouns to show a severe lack of something, like geldnood (short on money) or woningnood (housing shortage). Dutch often uses the verb zitten (to sit) to describe being stuck in a certain state or situation.
Why does the sentence use was instead of zou zijn (would be) for a hypothetical dinner?
In conditional or hypothetical sentences, Dutch speakers frequently replace zou or zouden plus an infinitive with the simple past tense. Saying anders was een etentje niet ondenkbaar means the exact same thing as anders zou een etentje niet ondenkbaar zijn, but using the simple past is shorter and very common in everyday spoken Dutch.
Why is the verb was placed immediately after anders?
Anders (otherwise) acts as the first element in that main clause. Because Dutch is a verb-second language, putting an adverb or conjunction like this at the start of a main clause triggers inversion. The verb (was) must take the second position, pushing the subject (een etentje) to the third position.
Is using a double negative like niet ondenkbaar (not unthinkable) common in Dutch?
Yes, very common! Expressing a positive idea by negating its opposite is a stylistic device called litotes. Dutch speakers use it all the time to sound modest, polite, or understated. Saying a dinner is niet ondenkbaar sounds slightly softer and more cautious than directly saying it is mogelijk (possible).
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