Resultative
The resultative construction uses an adjective or phrase to show the outcome of a verb's action (e.g., 'painting the door green').
How It Works
The resultative construction (resultatieve bepaling) is a powerful tool in Dutch for expressing change. It functions as a secondary predicate, meaning it adds a second layer of information about the state of a noun.
1. Weak vs. Strong Resultatives
At an advanced level, we distinguish between:
- Weak Resultatives: The result is logically expected from the verb. For example, 'de vis gaar bakken' (to fry the fish until done). The verb 'bakken' naturally leads to the state of being 'gaar'.
- Strong Resultatives: The result is not inherent to the verb. For example, 'de deur open trappen' (to kick the door open). Kicking doesn't usually result in 'openness', but here it does.
2. The Direct Object Restriction
A key rule in Dutch is that the resultative adjective must describe the direct object (or the subject of an unaccusative verb). It cannot describe the subject of a transitive verb. This is why activity verbs without an object usually need a 'fake' reflexive pronoun to act as a placeholder object, such as: 'Ik heb me suf gepiekerd' (I worried myself groggy). The resultative 'suf' describes 'me', not the act of worrying itself.
3. Morphology and Word Order
Adjectives in this construction are always uninflected. Even if the noun is a de-word, you do not add the -e ending. In terms of word order, the resultative is placed in the middle field, specifically right before the verbal pole at the end of the sentence.
Examples (5)
- Hij verft de houten deur groen.
He paints the wooden door green.
Word by Word: He paints the wooden door green.
Notice that 'groen' does not get an -e ending, even though 'deur' is a de-word, because it describes the result, not the quality of the door before the action.
- De boze klant schreeuwde zich schor.
The angry customer shouted himself hoarse.
Word by Word: The angry customer shouted himself hoarse.
This is a strong resultative where a prepositional-style adjective describes the state of the salesman after the talking.
- Zij heeft haar schoenen scheef gelopen.
She wore her shoes down unevenly (walked them crooked).
Word by Word: She has her shoes crooked walked.
The shoes became 'scheef' (crooked) as a result of the walking.
- Ik heb me gisteren helemaal suf gezocht naar mijn sleutels.
I searched myself completely groggy for my keys yesterday.
Word by Word: I have me yesterday completely groggy searched to my keys.
This uses a 'fake reflexive' (me) to express that the result of searching was a state of exhaustion (suf).
- De vaas viel in scherven op de grond.
The vase fell into shards on the ground.
Word by Word: The vase fell in shards on the ground.
A resultative can also be a prepositional phrase like 'in scherven', describing the final state of the vase.
Common Mistakes
Adding an inflectional -e to the resultative adjective.
Hij verft de deur groene.Hij verft de deur groen.Resultative adjectives are never inflected with -e, regardless of the gender or number of the noun they describe.
Incorrect word order in subordinate clauses.
...dat hij de deur trapt open....dat hij de deur open trapt.In a subclause, the resultative must come before the verb cluster at the very end.
Omitting the reflexive pronoun in intensive resultative constructions.
Ik heb suf gepiekerd.Ik heb me suf gepiekerd.When using an intransitive verb to express a result of intensity, you must use a reflexive pronoun to act as the 'target' of the result.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand resultative constructions like 'de deur open trappen', you need to know how to conjugate verbs and use basic adjectives. You also need a solid grasp of Dutch word order, as the resultative adjective typically occupies the same position as a separable prefix or the second part of a verb cluster at the end of the sentence.
- Word Order Basics
Understanding the standard position of verbs and objects is necessary to see how the resultative adjective is placed at the end of the core clause.
Foundations - Basic Adjective Placement
The learner needs to be familiar with basic adjectives, as resultative constructions use adjectives to describe the state resulting from an action.
Level 1 - Basic Verb Conjugation
Since the construction involves a verb acting upon an object to produce a result, the learner must be able to conjugate the main verb correctly.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- Secondary Predication
Depictives describe a state during an action (eating meat raw), whereas resultatives describe the state after the action (frying meat done).
Level 6 - When the Adjective Takes No -e
Resultative adjectives follow the rules for uninflected adjectives, similar to predicative adjectives.
Level 1 - Reflexive Verbs
Advanced resultatives often use 'fake' reflexive pronouns to express intensity.
Level 2 - worden + AdjectiveBecome + Adjective
The verb 'worden' (to become) is the most basic way to express a change of state, which resultatives do more concisely.
Level 4 - The Middle Field
The resultative occupies a specific position within the Dutch middle field, just before the final verbs.
Level 3 - Separable Verb Word Order
Many resultative constructions have become lexicalized as separable verbs (e.g., schoonmaken).
Level 2
Practice Resultative in Bubblegum
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