Breakdown of Zij is afhankelijk van haar ouders.
de ouders
the parents
afhankelijk zijn van
to depend on
Questions & Answers about Zij is afhankelijk van haar ouders.
Why does this sentence use van when the English translation says "on"?
Because afhankelijk is an adjective that requires a fixed preposition, and in Dutch, that preposition is van. You cannot translate fixed prepositions word-for-word from English (where we say "dependent on"). You just have to memorize the combination together: afhankelijk van.
The translation says "depends," which is a verb. Why does the Dutch sentence use is?
In Dutch, afhankelijk is an adjective meaning "dependent." So the sentence literally translates to "She is dependent on her parents." While English speakers often use the verb "to depend," Dutch speakers prefer the adjective structure (afhankelijk zijn van) when talking about people relying on others.
Could I use the verb afhangen (to depend) instead?
You could grammatically say Zij hangt af van haar ouders, but it sounds less natural. The verb afhangen van is mostly used for situations or conditions, like Het hangt af van het weer (It depends on the weather). For people needing support, afhankelijk zijn van is the standard phrase.
How do I pronounce the -lijk part of afhankelijk?
Even though it is spelled with ij, the unstressed suffix -lijk is always pronounced like "lək" (similar to the English word "luck," but with a softer, lazier vowel). It is a very common Dutch adjective ending, so learning this pronunciation trick will help you with dozens of other words!
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