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Questions & Answers about Die soep ziet er heerlijk uit.
Why is die used instead of de before soep?
die is a demonstrative adjective meaning “that,” used when you point out a specific soup (e.g. the one you see right there). de is just the definite article “the,” and would be neutral (“the soup”) rather than “that soup.”
What is the function of er in ziet er heerlijk uit?
er is part of the separable verb eruitzien. In this context it doesn’t carry independent meaning—it’s a placeholder that belongs with uitzien (“to look/appear”). You need it to form the correct verb structure.
Why does uit appear at the end of the sentence?
Because eruitzien is a separable verb: the prefix uit detaches and moves to the end in main clauses. The finite verb (ziet) stays second, and the particle (uit) goes to the very end.
Can you explain the word-order rule used here?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule:
- First position: subject or another element (here Die soep)
- Second position: finite verb (ziet)
- Remainder of the sentence, including adverbials and separable prefixes (er heerlijk uit)
Could I instead say De soep ziet er heerlijk uit?
Yes. De soep ziet er heerlijk uit (“The soup looks delicious”) is perfectly correct. Using die soep adds a bit more emphasis like “that soup (right there).”
How would you turn this into a question?
Invert subject and verb, keeping uit at the end:
Ziet die soep er heerlijk uit?
This means “Does that soup look delicious?”
Can I use lijkt instead of ziet eruit?
Absolutely. lijkt also means “seems/looks.” You’d say:
Die soep lijkt heerlijk.
or more fully
Die soep lijkt heerlijk te zijn.
With lijkt you drop er and uit, and follow directly with the adjective.