Breakdown of Zij ergert zich aan de vergissing.
zich vergissen
to make a mistake
zich ergeren aan
to be annoyed by
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Questions & Answers about Zij ergert zich aan de vergissing.
Why is zich in this sentence?
The verb zich ergeren (to be annoyed) is a reflexive verb in Dutch. While English uses the passive phrase She is annoyed, Dutch phrases it like an action you do to yourself. Because the subject is zij (she), the correct reflexive pronoun is zich.
Why do we use the preposition aan instead of a literal translation for by?
Dutch uses fixed prepositions with certain verbs, and they often do not match English. The verb zich ergeren is always paired with aan to introduce what is causing the annoyance. You just have to memorize the combination: zich ergeren aan (to be annoyed by).
If I wanted to say she is annoying someone else, would I use haar instead of zich?
Yes! If you use the regular object pronoun haar, the sentence Zij ergert haar means she is annoying a completely different woman. Using the reflexive pronoun zich is the only way to show she is the one feeling the annoyance herself.
Is the word vergissing related to another reflexive verb?
It is! The noun de vergissing (the mistake) comes from the verb zich vergissen, which means to make a mistake. So both the main verb and the noun in this sentence have strong ties to the reflexive verbs you are learning right now.