Breakdown of Die wollen trui kriebelt enorm.
de trui
the sweater
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
wollen
woolen
enorm
enormous
Questions & Answers about Die wollen trui kriebelt enorm.
How does the verb kriebelen fit into this lesson's topic of iterative verbs?
The suffix -elen implies a continuous, repeated, or minor movement or sensation. The base word is related to kriebel (a tickle). Adding -elen turns it into an ongoing, iterative action. A rough sweater doesn't just poke you once; it gives your skin a constant, repeated prickly sensation.
I previously learned jeuken for "to itch". Why use kriebelen here?
Jeuken implies a deeper, physiological itch (like a rash or a mosquito bite) that demands scratching. Kriebelen is a lighter, superficial tickling or prickly feeling on the skin. A rough sweater causes kriebelen, whereas an allergic reaction would cause jeuken.
Why does the adjective wollen end in -en rather than just taking the standard -e ending after "die"?
Wollen is a material adjective, meaning "made of wool". In Dutch, adjectives describing what something is made of almost always end in -en and never change their form, regardless of the noun's gender or the article used. Other common examples include houten (wooden) and gouden (golden).
Why is the word enorm used here without an adverbial suffix like the English "-ly"?
It functions perfectly well as an adverb here, modifying the verb kriebelt to mean "enormously". In Dutch, an adverb is almost always identical to the base adjective form, so you don't need to add any special suffix to turn an adjective into an adverb.