Breakdown of Hij waardeert het ook als ik het verschil tussen onze voorkeuren duidelijk uitleg.
ik
I
ook
too
hij
he
onze
our
het
it
als
if
uitleggen
to explain
de voorkeur
the preference
het verschil
the difference
tussen
between
waarderen
to appreciate
duidelijk
clear
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Questions & Answers about Hij waardeert het ook als ik het verschil tussen onze voorkeuren duidelijk uitleg.
What does the pronoun het represent in this sentence?
The het immediately following waardeert acts as a placeholder for the subordinate clause that follows. It corresponds to the English it in a sentence like “He appreciates it when I clearly explain the difference between our preferences.”
Why is the subordinate clause introduced by als placed after waardeert het ook, and what is its function?
The clause beginning with als provides the information about what is appreciated. In Dutch, subordinate clauses—even when they describe conditions or circumstances—usually follow the main clause. In this case, the subordinate clause explains precisely what he values, similar to saying “when I clearly explain the difference between our preferences.”
How does the word order in the subordinate clause work, particularly with the placement of the verb?
In Dutch subordinate clauses, the finite verb is placed at the very end. In the clause als ik het verschil tussen onze voorkeuren duidelijk uitleg, the subject ik comes first, followed by the direct object het verschil tussen onze voorkeuren and the adverb duidelijk, with the conjugated form of uitleggen—which is uitleg for the first person singular—appearing last.
Why is the separable verb uitleggen written as uitleg in this sentence?
For the first person singular, the conjugation of uitleggen is uitleg. Moreover, because this is a subordinate clause, the separable verb does not split up; instead, its conjugated form appears in full at the end of the clause.
What role does the adverb ook play, and why is its placement important?
The adverb ook means also and it emphasizes that the appreciation applies in addition to other circumstances. Its placement right after waardeert het signals that the following condition—expressed by the subordinate clause—is an additional instance in which he shows his appreciation.
Is the use of het before the subordinate clause necessary, and what would be the effect of leaving it out?
Yes, using het is necessary because it anticipates the content provided by the subordinate clause. It marks the direct object of waardeert much like the English it does in “He appreciates it when…” Omitting het would leave the sentence structurally incomplete and disrupt the expected connection between the main clause and its complement.