Questions & Answers about Het plezier verdween door de woede.
How does the word 'woede' relate to the '-de' noun suffix?
Woede (anger or rage) is an abstract noun. While its root adjective is no longer common in modern Dutch (it is related to the verb woeden, meaning 'to rage'), it follows the exact same pattern you are learning with words like lief becoming liefde (love) or koud becoming koude (cold). The -de suffix takes a descriptive quality and turns it into a noun concept.
Could I use 'boosheid' instead of 'woede' here?
Grammatically yes, but the meaning shifts in intensity. Boosheid comes from boos (angry) and refers to general anger. Woede is much stronger and translates closer to 'rage' or 'fury'. The intensity of woede perfectly explains why the pleasure completely vanished.
Why is 'door' used to mean 'because of' instead of a word like 'vanwege' or 'omdat'?
Door literally translates to 'through', but it is heavily used in Dutch to indicate the direct physical or logical cause of an event, much like 'due to' in English. You could use vanwege de woede, but door is shorter and extremely natural here. You cannot use omdat because it is a conjunction that requires a full clause with a subject and verb (e.g., omdat er woede was).
What is the infinitive of 'verdween'?
The infinitive is verdwijnen (to disappear). It is a strong (irregular) verb that follows the very common ij to ee vowel shift in the past tense. For a quick refresher, the forms are verdwijnen (present), verdween (simple past singular), and is verdwenen (present perfect).
Learn Het plezier verdween door de woede and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free