Zij is verlegen, maar haar vraag is oprecht.

to be

Breakdown of Zij is verlegen, maar haar vraag is oprecht.

• zij: she
• maar: but
• haar: her

Questions & Answers about Zij is verlegen, maar haar vraag is oprecht.

What’s the difference between zij and ze?

Zij is the stressed/contrastive form; ze is the unstressed, everyday form. Both can mean “she” (or “they”). Sentence-initial zij can add emphasis (She, as opposed to someone else), while ze sounds neutral. Here, both Zij is verlegen… and Ze is verlegen… are fine.

Could zij also mean “they”? How do I know what it means here?

Yes, zij can mean “she” or “they.” Dutch verbs show number: Zij is = “she is,” Zij zijn = “they are.” Because the verb is is (singular), it must be “she” here.

Do I need the comma before maar?

It’s optional. Dutch often omits commas before coordinating conjunctions like maar, but many writers add one to separate two full clauses for readability. Both are correct: Zij is verlegen, maar haar vraag is oprecht. / Zij is verlegen maar haar vraag is oprecht.

What happens to word order after maar?

Maar is a coordinating conjunction, so the second part is another main clause with normal main-clause word order (verb in second position): haar vraag (subject) is (finite verb) oprecht. Contrast with a subordinator like omdat, which sends the verb to the end: …, omdat haar vraag oprecht is.