Breakdown of Het budget is net zo klein als vorig jaar, maar we doen meer.
zijn
to be
klein
small
maar
but
wij
we
meer
more
doen
to do
het jaar
the year
als
as
vorig
last
het budget
the budget
net zo
just as
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Questions & Answers about Het budget is net zo klein als vorig jaar, maar we doen meer.
What does net zo … als mean in the sentence Het budget is net zo klein als vorig jaar, maar we doen meer?
Net zo … als is the Dutch way to say just as … as in English. It expresses equality between two things: here, the budget is just as small as last year’s.
Why is the adjective klein not inflected (for example kleine)?
Because klein is used predicatively after the verb is. Predicative adjectives in Dutch (those that come after zijn, worden, etc.) remain in their base form, regardless of the gender or number of the noun.
Why do we use als vorig jaar rather than dan vorig jaar in this comparison?
In Dutch equality comparisons you always use als (as … as). Dan (than) is reserved for unequal comparisons (e.g. groter dan = bigger than).
Is any preposition needed before vorig jaar?
No. In a net zo … als construction you directly follow als with the element you compare (here vorig jaar) without adding another preposition.
What exactly does we doen meer mean here?
Literally it means we do more. In context it implies we accomplish more or we achieve more this year, despite having the same small budget. It’s present tense but refers to the current situation.
What function does maar serve in this sentence?
Maar is the Dutch conjunction for but. It introduces a contrasting idea: the budget is equally small, but we still do more.
Could you leave out net and simply say zo klein als vorig jaar?
Yes. Zo klein als vorig jaar also means as small as last year. Adding net gives a shade of just or exactly, emphasising the equality.
How do you pronounce net zo? Is the t in net silent?
No, the t in net is pronounced [nɛt]. The full pronunciation is [nɛt so], with zo sounding like [zo].