Hij heeft toevallig hetzelfde uitgebreide dossier bij zich.

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Questions & Answers about Hij heeft toevallig hetzelfde uitgebreide dossier bij zich.

What does the phrase bij zich hebben mean, and how does it function in this sentence?

bij zich hebben literally means “to have with oneself.” It’s an idiomatic way to say you’re carrying or have something on your person. In the sentence:
hij heeft = he has
hetzelfde uitgebreide dossier = the same extensive file
bij zich = with him

“Bij zich” is a prepositional phrase (preposition bij + reflexive pronoun zich) that comes after the verb. It’s not a separable verb like aankomen → “komt ... aan,” but rather a fixed chunk meaning “on one’s person.”

Why do we use hetzelfde instead of dezelfde before uitgebreide dossier?

Dutch nouns are either de-words (common gender) or het-words (neuter). Dossier is a neuter noun, so any demonstrative or “same” word must match that gender:
hetzelfde dossier (neuter)
dezelfde persoon (common)

Thus you pick hetzelfde for neuter nouns.

Why is the adjective uitgebreid inflected with an “-e” ending here (i.e. uitgebreide)?
In Dutch, when an adjective comes before a singular noun that has a definite or definite-like determiner (e.g. de, het, hetzelfde, ieder, dit, dat), you add “-e” to the adjective. Since hetzelfde acts like a definite article here, uitgebreid becomes uitgebreide before dossier.
What role does the adverb toevallig play, and why is it placed where it is?

toevallig means “by chance” or “incidentally.” In Dutch main clauses, adverbs of manner/time usually occupy the “mid‐field,” immediately after the finite verb (heeft) but before objects or other phrases. Hence:
Hij heeft (finite verb) toevallig (adverb) hetzelfde uitgebreide dossier bij zich.

Could we move toevallig to the start of the sentence? What changes then?

Yes. Dutch is a V2‐language, so if you front an element (here toevallig), the finite verb still sits in second position:
Toevallig heeft hij hetzelfde uitgebreide dossier bij zich.
This puts extra emphasis on the “by chance” aspect.

Why isn’t there a separate article like het or een before uitgebreide dossier?
Because hetzelfde already fills the role of a definite determiner. In Dutch you don’t stack a demonstrative or “same” word on top of another article. Hetzelfde uitgebreide dossier is sufficient to signal “the same extensive file.”