Breakdown of Die bescheiden houding maakt hem erg betrouwbaar.
die
that
hem
him
erg
very
maken
to make
bescheiden
modest
de houding
the attitude
betrouwbaar
reliable
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Questions & Answers about Die bescheiden houding maakt hem erg betrouwbaar.
Why is it die and not de or dat before bescheiden houding?
die is a demonstrative determiner meaning that, used with all de-words (common gender) and all plurals.
- de is the ordinary definite article (the).
- dat is the demonstrative for het-words (neuter).
So die bescheiden houding means that modest attitude. You could say de bescheiden houding (the modest attitude), but dat houding would be ungrammatical, since houding is a de-word.
Why doesn’t bescheiden have an extra -e ending (like bescheidene houding)?
Normally, attributive adjectives in Dutch add -e when they precede a definite noun (after de, die, het, dat, etc.). However, adjectives that already end in -en (such as bescheiden) do not take an extra -e, in order to avoid a double -en. Hence you keep bescheiden houding, not bescheidene houding.
What part of speech is houding, and how do I know to use die with it?
houding is a common‐gender noun (a de-word) meaning attitude or posture. Dutch demonstratives agree with noun gender:
- die goes with de-words (singular) and all plurals,
- dat goes with het-words (singular).
That’s why we use die houding.
Why is hem used here instead of hij?
hem is the object (accusative) pronoun meaning him. In maakt hem erg betrouwbaar, hem is the direct object receiving the action of maken. hij is the subject (nominative) pronoun, used when someone is doing the action; here the doer is die bescheiden houding.
What is erg doing before betrouwbaar, and are there other ways to intensify an adjective?
erg is an adverb functioning as an intensifier meaning very or extremely. You can replace it with other intensifiers like:
- heel (very)
- zeer (highly)
- ontzettend (incredibly)
- super (colloquial)
For example: heel betrouwbaar, zeer betrouwbaar, ontzettend betrouwbaar.
What does betrouwbaar mean, and why not vertrouwbaar?
betrouwbaar is an adjective meaning reliable or trustworthy. It comes from the root betrouw (to trust) + -baar (able). The form vertrouwbaar is not standard in Dutch; the correct adjective is betrouwbaar. The verb vertrouwen (to trust) is related but does not yield vertrouwbaar.
Why is erg betrouwbaar placed after hem rather than directly after maakt?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule (finite verb in second position). After the verb (maakt), the direct object (hem) comes next, and then any complement or adverbial phrase (erg betrouwbaar). The sequence is:
- Subject: Die bescheiden houding
- Verb: maakt
- Object: hem
- Complement: erg betrouwbaar
What is the grammatical function of maken in this sentence, and how does it combine with the adjective?
Here maken acts as a causative verb that takes:
- a direct object (hem), and
- an object complement (erg betrouwbaar).
The complement describes the resulting state of the object. This construction is called Subject + maken + Object + Object Complement, e.g. “Die houding maakt hem erg betrouwbaar.”