Breakdown of De werkdruk is hoog; het overwerk is dan ook onhoudbaar.
zijn
to be
het
it
hoog
high / tall
het overwerk
the overtime
onhoudbaar
unsustainable
dan ook
therefore / consequently (as expected)
de werkdruk
the work pressure
Questions & Answers about De werkdruk is hoog; het overwerk is dan ook onhoudbaar.
How does the phrase dan ook work here? Doesn't it usually mean 'then also'?
While literally meaning 'then also,' when dan ook is used together as a particle cluster, it means 'consequently,' 'therefore,' or 'unsurprisingly.' In this sentence, it emphasizes that the unmanageable overtime is a direct, logical result of the high work pressure.
Why is dan ook placed in the middle of the clause rather than at the start?
Unlike conjunctions like dus, the cluster dan ook acts as an adverbial particle. It typically sits in the 'middle field' of a Dutch sentence. Here, it comes naturally after the subject (het overwerk) and the finite verb (is).
Could we just use daarom instead of dan ook here?
Yes, you could say het overwerk is daarom onhoudbaar. However, dan ook adds a specific nuance of predictability. It implies 'therefore, as you would logically expect,' making the connection between the high pressure and the overtime feel inevitable.
How is the adjective onhoudbaar formed?
It is built from the prefix on- (un-), the verb stem houd (from houden, meaning to hold or keep), and the suffix -baar (-able). Literally meaning 'un-hold-able,' it is used here to mean unsustainable or unmanageable.
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