Breakdown of De toeschouwers zien hoe hij behendig met ballen jongleert.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zien
to see
met
with
hoe
how
Questions & Answers about De toeschouwers zien hoe hij behendig met ballen jongleert.
Since this lesson focuses on the al + present participle, could we use it to say "juggling" in this sentence?
You could say De toeschouwers zien hem al jonglerend to mean "The spectators see him juggling." However, the original sentence uses a hoe subclause to focus specifically on the manner of the action—that he does it behendig (skillfully). Furthermore, the al + present participle is usually best for describing an action happening simultaneously with the subject's own main action (e.g., "He walked away juggling"), whereas here the juggling is the object being observed.
Why do we say met ballen instead of just ballen?
In Dutch, the verb jongleren (to juggle) strongly prefers the preposition met (with). While in English you "juggle balls" directly, in Dutch you literally "juggle with balls" (jongleren met ballen).
Why does the verb jongleert get pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word hoe (how) acts as a subordinating conjunction here, which introduces a subclause. In a Dutch subclause, the conjugated verb (jongleert) must go at the very end, giving us ...hoe hij behendig met ballen jongleert instead of the standard main-clause word order.
I've seen handig used for "skillful" before. Why is behendig used here instead?
While handig can mean skillful, handy, or convenient in a general sense, behendig specifically refers to physical agility, dexterity, and quickness. It is the perfect vocabulary choice to describe a physical feat that requires fine motor coordination, like juggling or gymnastics.