Breakdown of Zij houdt zich bezig met de prioriteit.
de prioriteit
the priority
zich bezighouden met
to occupy oneself with
Questions & Answers about Zij houdt zich bezig met de prioriteit.
Why is the verb split into houdt and bezig?
The infinitive is bezighouden (to keep busy / to occupy). It is a separable verb, so in a standard main clause, the conjugated part (houdt) takes the second position, and the prefix (bezig) moves to the end of the clause.
Why do we use the word zich here?
The full verb is zich bezighouden (to occupy oneself). It is a reflexive verb, which means the action reflects back on the subject. Since the subject is zij (she), we use the third-person reflexive pronoun zich (herself).
Could we use haar instead of zich?
No, you must use zich. While haar means 'her', using it here would imply she is keeping a different woman busy. To show she is occupying herself, you need the reflexive pronoun zich.
Why is the preposition met used in this sentence?
The verb zich bezighouden has a fixed partnership with the preposition met. Whenever you want to express what someone is busy with, working on, or focusing on, you must use zich bezighouden met.
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