Breakdown of We hebben het gebouw qua afmetingen geanalyseerd.
hebben
to have
het
it
het gebouw
the building
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
analyseren
to analyze
qua
in terms of, regarding
de afmeting
dimension, size
Questions & Answers about We hebben het gebouw qua afmetingen geanalyseerd.
What exactly does qua mean, and why isn't there an article like de after it?
Qua is a handy preposition borrowed from Latin that means 'in terms of', 'as for', or 'regarding'. It is almost always followed directly by a noun without an article. Therefore, you say qua afmetingen, never qua de afmetingen.
The lesson also talks about -gezien. Could we say afmetingen gezien instead?
No, because -gezien generally attaches to an adjective (like financieel gezien meaning 'financially speaking'). Because afmetingen (dimensions) is a noun, you need to use qua or a longer phrase like wat betreft de afmetingen.
Could I put qua afmetingen at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you can use it to set the topic right away. If you do, remember to apply the verb-second rule (inversion) where the verb jumps in front of the subject: Qua afmetingen hebben we het gebouw geanalyseerd. This emphasizes that you are focusing strictly on the dimensions, perhaps in contrast to the building's cost or style.
What is the exact difference between using qua afmetingen and qua grootte here?
They are very similar, but grootte simply means 'size' (how big or small it is overall), while afmetingen translates to 'dimensions' or 'measurements' (the specific length, width, and height). Both work perfectly with qua.
Why is it spelled geanalyseerd with a double ee at the end?
The infinitive verb is analyseren. When making the past participle of an -eren verb, you drop the -en to get the stem. To keep the vowel sound long before adding the final -d, Dutch spelling rules require writing a double e, resulting in geanalyseerd.
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