Breakdown of Het was niet zozeer de arrogantie als wel de onzekerheid.
zijn
to be
niet
not
het
it
wel
indeed, surely (contrastive particle)
als
as (like / conjunction)
de onzekerheid
the uncertainty
zozeer
so much
de arrogantie
the arrogance
Questions & Answers about Het was niet zozeer de arrogantie als wel de onzekerheid.
How does the phrase niet zozeer ... als wel work in this sentence?
This is a fixed correlative conjunction meaning 'not so much X, but rather Y'. It is used to correct a misconception. In this sentence, it contrasts the assumed trait (de arrogantie) with the actual root cause (de onzekerheid).
Why is als wel used here instead of just maar?
While maar simply means 'but', the combination niet zozeer ... als wel specifically translates to 'not so much ... but rather'. Using als wel emphasizes that the second noun (de onzekerheid) is the true reality replacing the partially true or assumed first noun.
What does zozeer literally mean on its own?
It means 'so much' or 'to such an extent'. It combines zo (so) and zeer (very/much). So niet zozeer de arrogantie literally means 'the arrogance not to such a high degree'.
Does als wel affect the word order?
No, it acts as a coordinating link. Here it simply connects two equal noun phrases (de arrogantie and de onzekerheid). If there were a full clause after it, it would not push the verb to the end like a subordinating conjunction does.
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