Breakdown of Zijn lichaamstaal verklaart elk gebaar dat hij maakt.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
maken
to make
zijn
his
dat
that/which (relative pronoun)
elk
each, every
verklaren
to declare (state officially / explain)
de lichaamstaal
the body language
het gebaar
the gesture
Questions & Answers about Zijn lichaamstaal verklaart elk gebaar dat hij maakt.
Why do we use dat instead of die for "that he makes"?
Because dat refers back to gebaar (gesture), which is a het-word (het gebaar). When a relative pronoun points back to a singular het-word, you always use dat. If it referred to a plural or a de-word, you would use die.
Why is it elk gebaar and not elke gebaar?
Gebaar is a het-word. For singular het-words without a definite article in front of them, determiners like elk (each/every) drop the -e ending. If the noun were a de-word like beweging (movement), it would be elke beweging.
Why is the verb maakt pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The part dat hij maakt is a relative clause, which functions as a subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb always gets pushed to the end.
Why is there an -s- in the middle of lichaamstaal?
Lichaamstaal (body language) is a compound noun formed from lichaam (body) and taal (language). The extra -s- is a linking sound (tussen-s) that is commonly used to glue noun combinations together for smoother pronunciation.
Since this sentence doesn't contain this lesson's grammar, how could I adapt it to use niet zozeer ... als wel?
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