Deze oefening kan veel kennis opleveren.

This exercise can yield a lot of knowledge.

Breakdown of Deze oefening kan veel kennis opleveren.

• veel: a lot
• kunnen: can
• deze: this
• de kennis: the knowledge
• de oefening: the exercise
• opleveren: to yield

Questions & Answers about Deze oefening kan veel kennis opleveren.

What is the function of deze in this sentence, and why not dit?

Dutch has two demonstrative pronouns: deze for nouns that take the de-article (common gender) and dit for those with the het-article (neuter). Oefening is a common-gender noun (we say de oefening), so we use deze oefening (“this exercise”).

Why is there no article before kennis?

Kennis is an uncountable noun in Dutch, just like “knowledge” in English. Uncountable nouns don’t take the indefinite article een, so you say veel kennis (“a lot of knowledge”) rather than een kennis.

Is opleveren a separable verb? If so, why does op stay attached here?

Yes, opleveren is separable: in a simple main clause you’d split it—de oefening levert kennis op. However, when you use a modal verb (like kan) or have an infinitive clause, the parts stay together at the end: kan ... opleveren.

Why is the word order Deze oefening kan veel kennis opleveren and not Kan deze oefening ...?

Dutch main clauses follow V2 (verb-second) order. You put one constituent first (here Deze oefening), then the finite verb (kan) in second position. Only in yes/no questions would you invert and start with the verb: Kan deze oefening veel kennis opleveren?

What exactly does kan mean here?

Kan is the third-person singular present tense of kunnen (“to be able to,” “can”). So Deze oefening kan ... means “This exercise can ...” or “This exercise is able to ...”

Could you replace kan with zal or moet to change the meaning?

Yes.

• Deze oefening zal veel kennis opleveren = “This exercise will yield a lot of knowledge.”
• Deze oefening moet veel kennis opleveren = “This exercise must yield a lot of knowledge” (strong obligation or expectation).

What nuance does veel add to kennis, and could you say veel van de kennis instead?

Veel means “a lot of.” Veel kennis simply means “a lot of knowledge.” If you said veel van de kennis, it would imply “a lot of that specific knowledge,” referring back to knowledge already mentioned or defined, which isn’t the case here.

Are there synonyms for opleveren in this context?

Yes, depending on context you could use opbrengen, verschaffen, or genereren.

• opbrengen often means “bring in” or “produce” (e.g., results).
• verschaffen means “provide” (more formal).
• genereren is a direct loan from English “generate.”
  But opleveren is most common for “yield” or “produce” in a learning context.