Breakdown of Wat een eer om hier te staan!
de eer
the honour
Questions & Answers about Wat een eer om hier te staan!
Is this sentence an example of a pseudo-cleft since it starts with wat?
No, this is an exclamation. While your current lesson focuses on pseudo-clefts to create focus (like Wat ik wil, is rust), the wat in this sentence is part of the phrase wat een (what a). It is used to express strong emotion or surprise, rather than introducing a subordinate clause.
Why is there no main verb like is in this sentence?
In both Dutch and English, exclamations frequently drop the dummy subject and the verb for dramatic effect. If you wanted to write the full, grammatically complete sentence, it would be Wat is het een eer om hier te staan! (What an honour it is to stand here!).
Why do we need om before hier te staan?
When linking a descriptive noun or adjective (like een eer) to an action, Dutch almost always uses the om ... te + infinitive construction. While English simply uses the infinitive "to stand," Dutch prefers adding om to securely link the noun to the infinitive phrase.
Could I use zijn (to be) instead of staan (to stand) here?
Yes, you could perfectly say om hier te zijn (to be here). However, staan is highly idiomatic in this context. It is the standard verb to use when the speaker is literally standing on a stage, at a podium, or in front of an audience to deliver a speech or accept an award.
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