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Het is een stille laptop, waarmee je ook in de bibliotheek kunt werken.

Het is een stille laptop, waarmee je ook in de bibliotheek kunt werken.
It is a quiet laptop with which you can also work in the library.
FromLesson 20inHardcore Dutch

Questions & Answers about Het is een stille laptop, waarmee je ook in de bibliotheek kunt werken.

Why is the adjective stille used here instead of stil?

In Dutch, attributive adjectives (those placed before a noun) almost always take an -e ending when they follow an article (definite de, indefinite een). Since laptop is a de-word and we have een, stil becomes stille:
• een stille laptop

Why is there a comma before waarmee?
Dutch uses a comma to separate the main clause from a relative (or subordinate) clause. Here, the main clause is Het is een stille laptop, and the relative clause waarmee je ook in de bibliotheek kunt werken adds information about the laptop. The comma signals that shift.
What does waarmee mean and how is it formed?

waarmee is a compound relative pronoun meaning with which. It comes from:
• waar (what/which) + mee (with)
It refers back to laptop and introduces how you can use it.

Why is the verb kunt placed at the end of the clause?
In Dutch subordinate clauses (including relative clauses), the finite verb moves to the end. Here, je ook in de bibliotheek are the other elements, and kunt (can) closes the clause, followed by the main verb werken (to work).
What is the function of ook in this sentence?
ook means also or too. It indicates that, in addition to other places or uses, you can also work with this quiet laptop in the library.
Why is the pronoun je used here instead of jij or the formal u?

• je is the neutral, unstressed informal form of “you.”
• jij is stressed (e.g. Jij kunt dit!) and rarely used after waarmee.
• u is formal; if you wanted to be polite, you’d say waarmee u ook in de bibliotheek kunt werken and adjust the verb accordingly.

Could we use met welke instead of waarmee?

Yes, but with a slight change:
• met welke laptop kun je ook in de bibliotheek werken?
That turns it into a question. To keep it as a statement, you’d say something like …een stille laptop, met welke je ook in de bibliotheek kunt werken—but that sounds more formal and less idiomatic. waarmee is the natural relative pronoun here.

Why does the sentence start with Het is? Couldn’t we say Deze laptop is stil, waarmee…?
Het is is a neutral way to introduce or describe something in general. You could indeed say Deze laptop is stil, waarmee je ook…, but that construction is less common. If you want to point to a specific laptop, Deze laptop (this laptop) works. Het is een stille laptop simply presents it without specifying.
Can in de bibliotheek be moved elsewhere in the relative clause?

Yes, Dutch allows some flexibility in adverbial placement. For example:
• waarmee je kunt werken, ook in de bibliotheek
• waarmee je in de bibliotheek ook kunt werken
Each variant shifts emphasis slightly, but all obey the rule that the finite verb (kunt) comes before the main verb (werken) in subordinate clauses.

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