Learn Hardcore Dutch: Gelukkig heeft Anna altijd lijm bij zich, waarmee we de losse stukjes weer aan elkaar plakken. - Fortunately Anna always has glue with her, with which we stick the loose pieces back together again.

Dutch main clauses obey the V2 rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Since Gelukkig is fronted into position 1, heeft immediately follows in position 2, and the subject Anna moves to position 3.

What does the phrase (iets) bij zich hebben mean, and why is zich used here instead of bij haar?

(Iets) bij zich hebben is a fixed reflexive construction meaning “to have something on one’s person.” You could literally say Anna heeft lijm bij haar, but Dutch normally uses the reflexive pronoun zich when the object refers back to the subject. Met haar would instead mean “with her” in the sense of accompanying someone.

What is waarmee, and why can’t we use met die or met de lijm in this relative clause?

Waarmee is waar + mee (“with which”), a relative pronoun formed by adding the preposition mee to waar. In Dutch, when a relative pronoun refers to an object of a preposition, you combine waar with that preposition. You cannot say met die/met de here; waarmee is the correct linkage.

Why does plakken appear at the very end of the clause “…, waarmee we de losse stukjes weer aan elkaar plakken”?

This clause is subordinate (it’s introduced by waarmee), so it follows SOV word order: subject – objects/adverbs – all verb elements at the end. Hence aan elkaar plakken (prepositional phrase + main verb) sits in final position.

Why does the adjective losse take an -e ending before stukjes?

Adjectives in Dutch add -e when they precede a noun with a definite article or in the plural. Here stukjes is plural (and preceded by de), so los becomes losse. Even though stukje is a diminutive and neuter in the singular, its plural still follows the regular adjective rule.

Why is the adverb altijd placed between heeft and lijm, and can it go elsewhere?

Time adverbs like altijd usually occupy the position between the finite verb and the direct object (V – adv – O). You could move altijd to the very beginning for emphasis or to the end in casual speech, but the neutral, default spot is between heeft and lijm.

Is the comma before waarmee mandatory, and what role does it play?

The comma signals the start of the relative clause. In restrictive clauses you can technically omit it, but inserting the comma improves readability—especially when the main clause is substantial and you need to show you’re moving on to extra information.

What’s the difference between writing aan elkaar plakken as three words and the single verb aaneenplakken?

Aan elkaar plakken is the verb plakken plus the prepositional phrase aan elkaar, meaning “to glue together.” Aaneenplakken (one word) exists in dictionaries but is more formal or literary. In everyday Dutch you’ll almost always keep the spaced form aan elkaar plakken.