Breakdown of Commercieel gezien is de capaciteit van de batterij te klein.
zijn
to be
klein
small
te
too
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
de batterij
the battery
gezien
speaking, viewed (in 'technisch gezien')
commercieel
commercial (adjective)
de capaciteit
the capacity
Questions & Answers about Commercieel gezien is de capaciteit van de batterij te klein.
Why do we use gezien here instead of qua?
Gezien is used after an adjective or adverb (like commercieel), literally translating to "seen commercially." The preposition qua must be followed by a noun. To express the same idea using qua, you would need a noun phrase, like qua commercie.
Does the phrase commercieel gezien count as a single block for word order?
Yes, it occupies the first position in the sentence. Because Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule, the verb is must come immediately after it, pushing the subject de capaciteit to the third position.
Are there other common words that pair with gezien in this way?
Yes, attaching gezien to an adjective is a very common way to frame a perspective. You will often see combinations like financieel gezien (financially speaking), historisch gezien (historically speaking), and technisch gezien (technically speaking).
Could I place commercieel gezien somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes, you can put it in the middle (De capaciteit van de batterij is commercieel gezien te klein.) or at the end. Placing it at the very front, as in this sentence, simply emphasizes the commercial perspective right away.
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