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Questions & Answers about Tijdens het gesprek vraagt de chef of iedereen voldoende licht heeft om te lezen.
What is the meaning of chef in this sentence?
In Dutch, chef commonly means boss or manager, not necessarily a cook. To specify a head cook you would say chef-kok or simply kok.
What function does of serve here?
This of is a subordinating conjunction introducing an indirect yes/no question. It’s equivalent to whether in English (“asks whether everyone has enough light”).
Why is iedereen used with a singular verb (heeft), not plural?
In Dutch, iedereen is grammatically singular, so it takes the singular verb form. You must say iedereen heeft, never iedereen hebben.
Why is voldoende placed before licht, and can I use genoeg instead?
Voldoende is an adjective meaning sufficient, and like other adjectives it precedes the noun. You can also say genoeg licht to mean enough light. If you want to put licht first you can say licht genoeg, but genoeg licht is more common in writing.
What is the purpose of om te lezen, and how does om ... te work?
The construction om … te + infinitive expresses purpose, similar to in order to read. So om te lezen literally means to read or for reading. Always include te before the infinitive in this structure.
Why does vraagt come right after Tijdens het gesprek?
Dutch follows a verb-second (V2) word order. When an adverbial phrase like Tijdens het gesprek starts the sentence, the finite verb (vraagt) must occupy the second position.
Do I need a comma after gesprek?
No comma is required. Dutch doesn’t add a comma after a simple introductory adverbial phrase; commas are used more sparingly than in English.
Why is it het gesprek, not een gesprek?
Using het indicates a specific conversation known in context. Een gesprek would refer to any conversation in general, not a particular one.
Why isn’t there an article before licht?
Here licht is an uncountable noun meaning illumination, so no article is needed when describing quantity with words like voldoende or genoeg.
Could I rephrase the sentence using zodat instead of of?
Yes, but it changes the structure and meaning to a purpose/result clause rather than an indirect question. For example: De chef zorgt voor meer licht, zodat iedereen kan lezen. In the original, vraagt … of iedereen heeft remains an indirect yes/no question.