Breakdown of De commissie oordeelt over de opponent, maar niet over jou.
niet
not
maar
but
jou
you (singular object)
over
about
de commissie
the committee
oordelen
to judge (to form an opinion)
de opponent
the opponent (formal, in a debate)
Questions & Answers about De commissie oordeelt over de opponent, maar niet over jou.
If I wanted to replace de opponent with a pronoun meaning 'him', could I use erover?
No, because an opponent is a person. In Dutch, you cannot use a pronominal adverb like erover for people. You must keep the preposition and use a personal pronoun, so it becomes over hem (about him). You would only use erover if the committee were judging a thing or a situation (judging it).
Why do we use the stressed pronoun jou instead of the unstressed je at the end of the sentence?
Because there is a direct contrast being made: the committee is judging the opponent, but not YOU. Whenever you are contrasting two people or emphasizing someone specifically, you must use the stressed pronoun form like jou instead of the neutral je.
Does the verb oordelen always take the preposition over?
Yes, when you want to mention who or what is being judged, oordelen is always paired with over. This is a fixed verb-preposition combination.
Is opponent the most standard Dutch word for 'opponent'?
It is a correct and understood word, but it leans formal and is mostly used in debates, legal contexts, or official sports. In everyday Dutch conversation, the word tegenstander is much more common.
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