Questions & Answers about Het onbekende in zijn mimiek maakte mij zenuwachtig.
How does the word onbekende work here, and why does it end in an -e?
Here, the adjective onbekend (unknown) is being used as a noun to mean "the unknown". In Dutch, you can turn almost any adjective into an abstract noun by adding an -e to the end and placing the neuter article het in front of it.
Is mimiek related to the English word "mimic"?
They share the same root, but mimiek is a bit of a "false friend" here. While "to mimic" in English means to copy or imitate, the Dutch noun mimiek specifically refers to someone's facial expressions. If you want to translate the English verb "to mimic", you would use imiteren or nadoen.
Why do we use maakte here instead of deed to translate "made"?
When "make" is followed by an adjective (like zenuwachtig, meaning nervous), you use maken in Dutch. You generally only use doen for "make" when it causes an action (a verb), such as in the sentence dat deed mij huilen (that made me cry).