Breakdown of De manager wil niet dat jij beslist zoals een dictator.
jij
you
een
a/an
niet
not
willen
to want
dat
that (conjunction)
de manager
the manager
zoals
such as, like
beslissen
to decide
de dictator
the dictator
Questions & Answers about De manager wil niet dat jij beslist zoals een dictator.
Why does this sentence use zoals instead of als?
Here, zoals means "in the manner of" or "similar to." You aren't actually a dictator, but you are deciding like one. If the sentence used als een dictator, it would mean you are acting in your official capacity as an actual dictator.
Why is zoals een dictator placed after the verb beslist at the end of the subordinate clause?
In a dat clause, conjugated verbs normally get pushed to the end. However, comparative phrases starting with als or zoals (as well as many prepositional phrases) can optionally be placed after the verb block. Putting it at the very end like this is natural and keeps the sentence from feeling too cluttered.
English says "does not want you to decide." Why does Dutch use wil niet dat jij beslist?
In Dutch, you cannot say "wants someone to do something" using an infinitive construction like you do in English. Instead, you must use a subordinate clause with dat (that). You literally have to express that the manager does not want that you decide.
Why use the emphatic pronoun jij here instead of the unstressed je?
Using jij puts specific emphasis on you. The manager is pointing out your specific behavior, highlighting that they do not want you deciding in this dictatorial manner.
Learn De manager wil niet dat jij beslist zoals een dictator and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free