Breakdown of Terwijl hij de deur monteert, krijgt hij het scharnier scheef.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
de deur
the door
krijgen
to get (receive)
terwijl
while
monteren
to assemble
het scharnier
the hinge
scheef
crooked
Questions & Answers about Terwijl hij de deur monteert, krijgt hij het scharnier scheef.
What exactly does krijgen mean in this context?
This is the resultative use of krijgen. By combining krijgen, a direct object (het scharnier), and an adjective (scheef), it expresses the physical outcome of an action. The phrase shows that through his effort of assembling the door, the hinge ends up crooked.
Why is the word order krijgt hij instead of hij krijgt in the second half of the sentence?
The sentence begins with a subordinate clause: Terwijl hij de deur monteert. Because this entire clause takes up the first position of the overarching sentence, the verb-second (V2) rule kicks in. The main verb (krijgt) must take the second position, pushing the subject (hij) directly after it.
Why is the adjective scheef placed at the very end of the sentence?
In a resultative construction, the adjective that describes the final state behaves a lot like a separable verb prefix. It is pushed to the very end of the clause, meaning you must place the direct object (het scharnier) before the resultative adjective (scheef).
Does this krijgen structure imply he intentionally made the hinge crooked?
No, and in this context, it implies an accident. While resultative krijgen highlights an outcome reached through effort, that outcome can be entirely unintended. It simply means that as a result of his working on the door, he inadvertently gets the hinge crooked.
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