Breakdown of Ik ken Amsterdam goed, maar ik weet niet waar dat kleine museum is.
ik
I
zijn
to be
klein
small
niet
not
maar
but
dat
that
weten
to know
waar
where
goed
well
het museum
the museum
kennen
to know
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
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Questions & Answers about Ik ken Amsterdam goed, maar ik weet niet waar dat kleine museum is.
What is the difference between kennen and weten in Dutch?
Kennen means to be familiar with someone or something (to know by experience):
- Ik ken Amsterdam goed. = I know Amsterdam well (I’ve been there, I’m familiar with it).
Weten means to know a fact or piece of information: - Ik weet niet waar dat kleine museum is. = I don’t know where that small museum is (I lack that information).
Why is the verb is at the end of the clause “waar dat kleine museum is”?
Because it’s a subordinate clause (an indirect question introduced by waar). In Dutch subordinate clauses the finite verb moves to the end. So you get: …waar … is (verb last).
Why is dat used in “dat kleine museum” instead of het or die?
Dat is the demonstrative pronoun for neuter nouns (like het museum) and means that.
- Dat kleine museum = that small museum.
Die would be used for de-words (e.g. die fles), and het is the definite article (het kleine museum = the small museum).
Why is there no separate article before “kleine museum”?
Because dat already functions as a demonstrative determiner. You don’t need an extra article.
- If you wanted “the small museum,” you’d say het kleine museum without dat.
Why does goed come after Amsterdam in “Ik ken Amsterdam goed”?
In Dutch, short adverbs of manner (like goed, snel, vrij) usually follow the direct object:
- Ik ken Amsterdam goed.
Putting goed before the object (Ik ken goed Amsterdam) sounds awkward and is not the normal word order.
What role does maar play in this sentence?
Maar means but. It links two contrasting statements:
- Ik ken Amsterdam goed,
- maar ik weet niet waar dat kleine museum is.
Why not say “Waar is dat kleine museum?” instead?
Waar is dat kleine museum? is a direct question (you’d use question word order and a question mark). Here it’s an indirect question embedded after weet niet, so you keep subordinate word order: …waar dat kleine museum is.