Breakdown of Dankzij haar goede raad genieten wij volledig van de zonsondergang bij het vakantiehuis.
wij
we
goed
good
genieten van
to enjoy
haar
her
bij
at
de zonsondergang
the sunset
dankzij
thanks to
het vakantiehuis
the holiday home
de raad
the advice
volledig
fully
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Questions & Answers about Dankzij haar goede raad genieten wij volledig van de zonsondergang bij het vakantiehuis.
What does dankzij mean and how is it used in this sentence?
dankzij is a preposition meaning “thanks to” or “due to”, indicating a positive cause or reason. It is followed by a noun phrase (dankzij haar goede raad). When dankzij appears at the beginning of a main clause, Dutch word order requires the finite verb to come right after it (inversion).
Why is it haar goede raad and not haar goed raad?
In Dutch, adjectives get an -e (weak inflection) when they precede a noun with a determiner (here the possessive haar). Since raad is a common-gender noun and you have haar as your determiner, you must say goede raad, not goed raad.
Why is there no article before haar goede raad (e.g. de haar goede raad)?
Possessive pronouns like haar act as determiners in Dutch. You never combine them with an article (de or het). So it’s haar goede raad, never de haar goede raad.
Why does the verb genieten come before the subject wij?
Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule. Because dankzij haar goede raad occupies the first position, the finite verb genieten must be the second element, pushing the subject wij into third place: genieten wij.
What role does volledig play, and why is it placed where it is?
volledig is an adverb meaning “completely” or “fully”, modifying the action of genieten. In a V2 clause with inversion, adverbs like volledig normally follow the subject, hence genieten wij volledig van ….
Why do we say genieten van de zonsondergang, and what does genieten van exactly mean?
The verb genieten in Dutch requires the preposition van to introduce what is being enjoyed. genieten van translates as “to enjoy” something, so genieten van de zonsondergang means “enjoy the sunset.”
What is zonsondergang, and why is it paired with de?
zonsondergang is a compound noun: zon (sun) + ondergang (setting). The head noun ondergang is a common-gender noun (de-word), so the entire compound takes de, giving de zonsondergang.
Why is bij het vakantiehuis used instead of in het vakantiehuis?
bij means “at” or “by”, indicating location next to or around something. in would mean “inside”. Since you’re enjoying the sunset at/near the holiday home (probably outdoors), you choose bij het vakantiehuis.
How do you know vakantiehuis takes het rather than de?
In Dutch compounds, the gender of the last element (the “head”) determines the compound’s article. huis is a neuter noun (het huis), so vakantiehuis also takes het: het vakantiehuis.