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Breakdown of Ik maak een overzicht van de nieuwe woorden zodat ik ze niet vergeet.
ik
I
niet
not
nieuw
new
het woord
the word
zodat
so that
vergeten
to forget
een
a, an
maken
to make
van
of
ze
them
het overzicht
the overview
Questions & Answers about Ik maak een overzicht van de nieuwe woorden zodat ik ze niet vergeet.
What does overzicht mean in this sentence?
Overzicht literally translates to “overview,” “summary,” or “list.” Here it means you’re creating a structured list or summary of the new words.
Why is the verb maak used instead of something like doe?
In Dutch, you “een overzicht maken” is the standard collocation: you make an overview. Even though in English you might “make” or “do” a list, Dutch prefers maken with overzicht.
Why do we say van de nieuwe woorden and not just de nieuwe woorden?
You need the preposition van (“of”) to link overzicht with what it’s an overview of. So een overzicht van de nieuwe woorden = “an overview of the new words.”
What is zodat and how does it work here?
Zodat is a subordinating conjunction meaning “so that” or “in order that.” It introduces a purpose clause explaining why you make the overview.
Why does the verb vergeet come at the end of the clause?
Because zodat is a subordinating conjunction, Dutch moves the finite verb to the end of its clause. So instead of ik niet vergeet, you get ik ze niet vergeet with vergeet last.
What does ze refer to, and why is it placed before niet vergeet?
Ze is the pronoun for “them,” referring back to de nieuwe woorden (plural). In a subordinate clause you place the pronoun before the negation niet, so ik ze niet vergeet.
Should there be a comma before zodat?
It’s common (and often recommended) to put a comma before subordinate conjunctions like zodat:
Ik maak een overzicht van de nieuwe woorden, zodat ik ze niet vergeet.
However, in casual writing it’s sometimes omitted.
Could I rephrase this using om te instead of zodat?
Yes. You could say:
Ik maak een overzicht van de nieuwe woorden om ze niet te vergeten.
Here om te + infinitive expresses purpose (“in order to”), and the word order changes—you use te vergeten rather than a finite verb at the end.
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