Learn Hardcore Dutch: Anna is het meest tevreden als iedereen zijn mening rustig kan delen. - Anna is most satisfied when everyone can calmly share their opinion.

het meest tevreden translates to the most satisfied in English. Here, the superlative is constructed using het meest followed by the adjective tevreden. In Dutch, many adjectives form the superlative with het meest (rather than simply adding a suffix like -st) to emphasize the extreme degree of the quality—so in this case, it stresses that Anna is at her highest level of satisfaction.

What role does the word als play in the sentence?

als is a subordinating conjunction that typically means when (or if in some contexts). In this sentence, it introduces the subordinate clause als iedereen zijn mening rustig kan delen, which specifies the condition under which Anna is most satisfied—namely, when everyone is able to share their opinion calmly.

Why is the possessive pronoun zijn used with iedereen instead of another form like haar or hun?

In Dutch, the word iedereen (meaning everyone) is grammatically singular and traditionally takes the masculine possessive pronoun zijn regardless of the actual genders of the people involved. This is a standard rule in Dutch usage, so even though everyone might include females, zijn is used to indicate possession here.

How does the word order in the subordinate clause als iedereen zijn mening rustig kan delen differ from that in a typical main clause?

In Dutch main clauses, the finite verb usually appears in the second position. However, in subordinate clauses introduced by words like als, the finite verb (and any modal constructions) is moved to the end of the clause. This is why in als iedereen zijn mening rustig kan delen, the modal verb kan and the main verb delen come at the clause’s end—illustrating standard Dutch subordinate clause word order.

What is the function of the modal verb kan and the adverb rustig in the phrase kan delen?

The modal verb kan means can, and it expresses the ability or possibility for an action—in this case, sharing opinions. The adverb rustig (meaning calmly) modifies the action, indicating that opinions should be shared in a relaxed or unhurried manner. In Dutch, when modal verbs are used, the modal and its accompanying infinitive (here, delen) are typically placed at the end of the clause, with adverbs like rustig positioned to specify the manner of the action.