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Breakdown of Mijn zus heeft al vaker een tandarts bezocht, maar voor mij voelt het nog nieuw.
hebben
to have
maar
but
nieuw
new
voor
for
al
already
het
it
mijn
my
nog
still
mij
me
de zus
the sister
een
a, an
bezoeken
to visit
de tandarts
the dentist
vaker
more often
voelen
to feel
Questions & Answers about Mijn zus heeft al vaker een tandarts bezocht, maar voor mij voelt het nog nieuw.
Why does the sentence use the present perfect tense (heeft bezocht) for the sister's visits?
In Dutch, using the present perfect (heeft bezocht) indicates that these dental visits happened before now and can still be relevant to the present moment. It emphasizes that the action has occurred multiple times in the past and is part of the sister’s current experience.
What is the function of al vaker in this sentence?
Al vaker literally suggests "already more often" or "already several times," which tells the listener that the sister has gone to the dentist multiple times before. It adds the nuance that this is not her first experience.
Why is voelt used instead of voel or voelen in the second clause?
Since het (it) is the subject in this clause and is a third-person singular pronoun, the verb must be conjugated accordingly. Voelt is the third-person singular form of the verb voelen.
Is voor mij voelt het nog nieuw a typical Dutch word order?
Yes. In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb usually appears in second position. Here, the phrase voor mij is placed first for emphasis, so voelt (the verb) appears next, followed by het, then the rest of the clause. This ordering is common in Dutch to draw attention to the perspective of “me” first.
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