Learn Hardcore Dutch: Haar vriendelijke feedback motiveert mij om verder te schrijven. - Her friendly feedback motivates me to continue writing.

haar (not capitalized in the middle of a sentence) = her (possessive) or her (object pronoun) or hair (noun).
At the start of a sentence, it’s capitalized as Haar simply because it’s the first word.

So:

Haar vriendelijke feedback = Her friendly feedback
haar haar (in theory) could mean her hair, but context makes it clear.

Why is it vriendelijke and not vriendelijk?

Dutch adjectives often get an -e ending. In this sentence:

feedback is a de-word (de feedback).
When an adjective comes before a de-word in the singular with a definite determiner (like a possessive: haar, mijn, jouw, etc.), you add -e.

So the pattern is:

de feedback → haar vriendelijke feedback

Compare:

vriendelijke man (de man)
vriendelijke vrouw (de vrouw)
vriendelijke feedback (de feedback)

If it were an het-word without a determiner, you often don’t add -e:

een vriendelijk woord (het woord)

Is feedback a normal Dutch word, and what gender is it?

Yes, feedback is commonly used in Dutch, borrowed from English.

It’s treated as a de-word: de feedback.
That’s why the adjective has an -e: vriendelijke feedback.

You wouldn’t normally say het feedback; that would sound wrong to native speakers.

Why is it motiveert and not motiveer?

Motiveert is the 3rd person singular present tense of motiveren (to motivate).

Conjugation of motiveren in the present:

ik motiveer
jij / u motiveert
hij / zij / het motiveert

The subject here is Haar vriendelijke feedback (treated as zij / “she” or “it”), so you use:

(zij/het) motiveert → Haar vriendelijke feedback motiveert…

Why is it mij and not me? Can I use me instead?

Dutch has two unstressed/stressed forms for “me”:

me = unstressed, more neutral in everyday speech
mij = stressed/emphatic form (like stressing “ME” in English)

In this sentence:

Haar vriendelijke feedback motiveert mij om verder te schrijven. → Emphasizes me: …motivates *me to keep writing (as opposed to someone else)*

You can say:

Haar vriendelijke feedback motiveert me om verder te schrijven.

This is very natural and common in spoken Dutch. The difference is mainly in emphasis and formality; mij sounds a bit more formal/explicit.

Why do we need om … te before schrijven?

Dutch uses the structure om + te + infinitive in many “purpose” or “result” clauses, similar to English “to + verb” when it has a sense of “in order to”.

Pattern:

(iets) motiveert (iemand) om te + infinitive
Her feedback motivates me to keep writing.

So:

motiveert mij om verder te schrijven = motivates me (in order) to continue writing

You can’t just say:

✗ motiveert mij verder schrijven You need om te there.

What does verder add to the meaning of te schrijven?

Verder means roughly “further” / “to continue” / “more”.

te schrijven = to write
verder te schrijven = to continue writing / to keep writing / to write more

So verder emphasizes continuation (not just starting to write, but going on).

Why is the word order Haar vriendelijke feedback motiveert mij and not something like in English word order?

Dutch main clauses normally follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in the second position.

In this sentence:

Haar vriendelijke feedback → first position (subject phrase)
motiveert → second position (finite verb)
mij om verder te schrijven → rest of the sentence

So the main clause structure is:

[Subject] – [Verb] – [Objects/Other parts]
Haar vriendelijke feedback motiveert mij om verder te schrijven.

You could also front the object for emphasis:

Mij motiveert haar vriendelijke feedback om verder te schrijven. This is grammatical but sounds marked/emphatic.

Could I say “Haar vriendelijke feedback motiveert om verder te schrijven” without mij?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct, but it changes the meaning slightly.

met “mij”: Her friendly feedback specifically motivates me to keep writing.
zonder “mij”: Her friendly feedback motivates (one/people) to keep writing — more general or impersonal.

Normally, if you mean you personally, you keep mij (or me).

Is there any difference between verder schrijven and doorschrijven or blijven schrijven?

They all express continuation, but with different nuances:

verder schrijven: neutral “to continue writing / to go on writing.”
doorschrijven: often “to keep writing without stopping,” can imply persisting or writing on and on.
blijven schrijven: literally “to remain writing,” often used for continuing over time or not giving up.

In your sentence, verder te schrijven is the most natural, neutral choice.