Breakdown of De onverwachte pijn maakt dat wij de olie op onze nek wrijven.
wij
we
maken
to make
op
on
onze
our (de-words, plurals)
de pijn
the pain
dat
that (conjunction)
onverwacht
unexpected
de olie
the oil
de nek
the neck
wrijven
to rub
Questions & Answers about De onverwachte pijn maakt dat wij de olie op onze nek wrijven.
Why use maakt dat here instead of translating "causes us to" with laat ons or doet ons?
The phrase maken dat is used for situational causation. This means a specific circumstance (the unexpected pain) creates a new reality or outcome (that we rub the oil). You would generally use laten if you were giving permission or having someone do a task, and doen is used for causing a direct physical or emotional reaction (like het doet me huilen - it makes me cry).
How does the phrase maakt dat affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?
The word dat acts as a subordinating conjunction, meaning it introduces a dependent clause. In Dutch dependent clauses, the conjugated verb is pushed to the very end. That is why wrijven comes at the end of the sentence, rather than right after wij.
Why do we use the singular onze nek when wij implies multiple people? Shouldn't it be plural?
In Dutch, when referring to a group of people who each have one of a specific body part or item, it is standard to use the singular form. Saying onze nekken sounds a bit unnatural, almost as if each person has multiple necks! Additionally, we use onze rather than ons because nek is a de-word (de nek).
Where does the word onverwachte come from, and why does it end in an -e?
It is based on the verb verwachten (to expect). Its past participle is verwacht (expected), and adding the prefix on- makes it "unexpected". It gets an -e added to the end because it is being used as an adjective describing a de-word (de pijn) that is preceded by the definite article de.
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