Breakdown of Krijg jij de bout los met de inbussleutel?
jij
you
met
with
krijgen
to get (receive)
los
loose
de bout
the bolt
de inbussleutel
the Allen key
Questions & Answers about Krijg jij de bout los met de inbussleutel?
How does krijgen work in this sentence, since it normally means "to receive"?
This is the "resultative" use of the verb. In the structure krijgen + direct object + adjective, it means to successfully bring something into a certain state through effort. Here, krijg jij de bout los translates to "are you managing to get the bolt loose". It emphasizes the physical struggle or effort involved.
Why is there no -t at the end of krijg, even though the subject is jij?
This is a classic inversion rule that is always good to refresh! When the subject jij or je comes right after the verb (which happens in questions), you drop the -t. So it is jij krijgt, but krijg jij.
Is the word inbussleutel related to a bus?
Not at all! An inbussleutel is an Allen key or hex key. Sleutel means "key" or "wrench". The inbus part actually comes from an old German brand acronym for hexagonal screws. You don't need to know the origin, just remember that inbus is the standard Dutch prefix for hex-socket tools and hardware.
Could I ask this same question using the verb lukken (to succeed)?
You could, but the grammar would change entirely because lukken takes a "dummy" subject. You would have to say: Lukt het jou om de bout los te krijgen? (Is it succeeding for you to get the bolt loose?). Using the resultative krijgen directly, as shown in this sentence, is much more concise and native-sounding for this kind of physical effort.
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