Breakdown of Wat bedenk jij om dit waar te maken?
waarmaken
to realize/to fulfill
bedenken
to devise / to think up
Questions & Answers about Wat bedenk jij om dit waar te maken?
This lesson is about pseudo-cleft sentences starting with Wat. Is this sentence one of them?
Actually, no! This is a standard direct question. A pseudo-cleft using these words would look like: Wat jij bedenkt, is fantastisch (What you come up with is fantastic). In a pseudo-cleft, the entire Wat clause acts as the subject for the main verb. Here, Wat is just a normal question word asking for the object of bedenk.
Why is te sandwiched in the middle of waarmaken?
Waarmaken (to make happen / to realize) is a separable verb. When you use a separable verb with te (like in an om ... te construction), the te is placed exactly between the separable prefix (waar) and the base verb (maken).
How does the om ... te construction work in this sentence?
It expresses purpose, translating to "in order to" in English. The word om introduces the purpose clause, the object (dit) follows it immediately, and te goes right before the verb at the very end of the sentence.
What is the difference between denken and bedenken?
Denken means "to think" in a general sense. Adding the prefix be- turns it into bedenken, which means "to think of", "to come up with", or "to invent". It implies actively creating a plan or solution.
Why use jij instead of the unstressed je here?
Using the stressed pronoun jij puts the focus on the person being asked. It gives the sentence the flavor of "What are you going to come up with?"—perhaps challenging them or contrasting them with someone else.
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