# Max Havelaar, Chapter 2

Max Havelaar · Multatuli · The Novel

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/havelaar/hoofdstuk-2. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/havelaar/hoofdstuk-2.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/havelaar/<line id>.m4a.


Daar ik niet weet of gy aan de beurs bekend zyt, wil ik u even zeggen dat Stern een eerst huis is in koffi te Hamburg, dat altyd door Last & Co is bediend geworden.  
Since I do not know whether you are acquainted with the exchange, let me just tell you that Stern is a first-rate coffee house in Hamburg, one that has always been served by Last & Co.
> Causal Daar + embedded of-question: Daar ('since') is the literary causal conjunction, verb-final (weet). Inside it the indirect yes/no question of gy ... bekend zyt ('whether you are known') is itself verb-final.
> Perfect passive: is ... geworden: is bediend geworden ('has always been served') is the perfect of the worden-passive, where the participle of worden appears as geworden after the main participle bediend.

Heel toevallig kwam ik daar achter ... ik meen achter de knoeiery van Busselinck & Waterman.  
Quite by chance I got wind of it ... I mean, of the underhanded dealings of Busselinck & Waterman.
> Fronted adverb + separable achterkomen: ergens achterkomen ('to find something out') is separable; the fronted Heel toevallig ('quite by chance') inverts to kwam ik, and daar ... achter strands the prefix.
> knoeiery = underhanded dealing: knoeiery (also knoeierij, 'bungling, jobbery, sharp practice') is from knoeien ('to mess about, cheat'). Droogstoppel hurls it at his rivals' attempt to poach his client.

Zy zouden een kwart procent van de courtage laten vallen--onderkruipers zyn het, anders niet!--en zie nu eens wat ik gedaan heb om dien slag afteweren.  
They were ready to shave a quarter percent off the brokerage—undercutters they are, nothing else!—and now just see what I have done to ward off that blow.
> Conditional zouden + causative laten vallen: zouden ... laten vallen ('would let drop/shave off') is the conditional; laten vallen is causative laten plus the bare infinitive vallen, here meaning 'to reduce.'
> Fronted predicate + dummy het: Fronting the predicate onderkruipers ('undercutters') inverts to zyn het, with het as a placeholder subject pointing back at Busselinck & Waterman.
> Free relative wat + purpose om ... te: wat ik gedaan heb ('what I have done') is a verb-final free relative; afteweren (= af te weren, separable afweren 'to ward off') closes the om-purpose clause. dien slag keeps the old accusative dien.

Een ander in myn plaats had misschien aan Ludwig Stern geschreven dat hy ook wat zou laten vallen, dat hy hoopte op konsideratie om de langdurige diensten van Last & Co ... ik heb uitgerekend dat de firma, sedert ruim vyftig jaren, vier ton aan Stern verdiend heeft.  
Another man in my place might perhaps have written to Ludwig Stern that he too would shave something off, that he counted on his consideration for the long-standing services of Last & Co ... I have worked out that, over fully fifty years, the firm has earned Stern four hundred thousand guilders.
> Pluperfect for a hypothetical alternative: had ... geschreven ('might have written') is the pluperfect, here a counterfactual 'another man might have ...' set against what Droogstoppel actually did.
> Conditional zou + causative laten vallen: zou laten vallen ('would shave off') again pairs the conditional zou with causative laten + bare infinitive vallen, inside a verb-final dat-clause.
> ton = 100,000 guilders: A ton in Dutch money meant 100,000 guilders, so vier ton is 400,000 — an immense sum. Droogstoppel quantifies the relationship as a ledger entry, true to character.

Die konnexie dateert van 't kontinentaal stelsel, toen wy dekoloniale waren insmokkelden van Helgoland. Ja, wie weet wat 'n ander al zoo zou geschreven hebben.  
That connection dates from the Continental System, when we smuggled colonial goods in from Heligoland. Yes, who knows what some other man might have written.
> Present tense dateren van: dateert van ('dates from') is a simple present stating an enduring fact. konnexie and kontinentaal show the period habit of writing k where modern Dutch keeps c.
> toen + separable insmokkelen (past): toen ('when', past) sends the verb to the end; insmokkelen ('to smuggle in') is separable, reunited as insmokkelden in this verb-final clause. de koloniale waren = 'the colonial goods.'

Maar neen, onderkruipen doe ik niet. Ik ben naar Polen gegaan liet me pen en papier geven, en schreef:  
But no, undercutting is not my way. I went to Polen's, had pen and paper brought to me, and wrote:
> Fronted infinitive + do-support + niet: Fronting onderkruipen ('undercutting') for contrast forces the prop verb doe and inversion: 'undercutting I do not.' The same emphatic werkwoord-fronting seen earlier.
> Perfect of gaan with zijn + causative laten: ben ... gegaan ('went') uses zijn for a verb of motion; liet ... geven is causative laten in the past ('had pen and paper brought'). Polen('s) is a café.

Dat de groote uitbreiding die onze zaken den laatsten tyd genomen hadden, vooral door de vele geëerde orders uit Noord-Duitschland ... 't Is de zuivere waarheid!  
That the great expansion our business had lately undergone, owing above all to the many esteemed orders out of North Germany ... It is the pure truth!
> Relative die + pluperfect: die ('which') opens a relative clause ending in the pluperfect genomen hadden ('had taken/undergone'). den laatsten tyd ('lately') carries the old accusative den.
> geëerde = esteemed (commercial register): geëerde ('esteemed, honored') is the stiff, flattering commercial-letter register Droogstoppel adopts. The diaeresis on ë marks that the e is sounded separately from the preceding e.

...dat die uitbreiding eenige vermeerdering van ons personeel noodzakelyk maakte. 't Is de waarheid!  
...that this expansion made some enlargement of our staff necessary. It is the truth!
> dat-clause, verb-final: This fragment of the business letter is a verb-final dat-clause ending in maakte ('made'). noodzakelyk maken = 'to make necessary.'

Gister-avend nog was de boekhouder na elven op 't kantoor, om zyn bril te zoeken.  
Why, only yesterday evening the bookkeeper was at the office past eleven, looking for his spectacles.
> Fronted time phrase + V2 inversion: The fronted Gister-avend nog ('only yesterday evening') inverts to was de boekhouder. na elven = 'past eleven (o'clock),' with the old plural-ish -en on the hour.
> Purpose om ... te: om ... te zoeken ('in order to look for his glasses') is a purpose clause. Droogstoppel slips it in to 'prove' how busy the office is — comic anticlimax.

Dat vooral zich de behoefte deed gevoelen aan fatsoenlyke, welopgevoede jongelieden, voor de korrespondentie in het duitsch.  
That the need made itself felt above all for respectable, well-bred young men, for the correspondence in German.
> Reflexive zich + causative-like doen gevoelen: zich doen gevoelen ('to make itself felt') combines the reflexive zich with doen + bare infinitive gevoelen. Inside the dat-clause the verbs cluster at the end.

Dat wel-is-waar veel duitsche jongelingen, in Amsterdam aanwezig, hiertoe de vereischte bekwaamheden bezaten, maar dat een huis dat zich respekteert ... 't Is de zuivere waarheid!  
That, true enough, many young Germans now in Amsterdam possessed the requisite qualifications for this, but that a house which respects itself ... It is the pure truth!
> Pronominal adverb hiertoe + verb-final dat: hiertoe ('for this') is hier- + toe replacing voor dit. The dat-clause ends in bezaten (strong past of bezitten, 'possessed').
> Reflexive zich respecteren: zich respecteren ('to respect itself') is reflexive; the relative dat (huis is a het-word, so dat not die) sends the verb to the end. respekteert shows k-for-c period spelling.

...by de toenemende ligtzinnigheid en onzedelykheid onder de jeugd, by het dagelyks aangroeien van het getal fortuinzoekers, en met het oog op de noodzakelykheid om soliditeit van gedrag, hand-aan-hand te doen gaan met soliditeit in de uitvoering, van de gegeven orders ... 't Is, waarachtig, alles de zuivere waarheid!  
...given the growing frivolity and immorality among the young, the daily swelling of the number of fortune-hunters, and with an eye to the necessity of making soundness of conduct go hand in hand with soundness in carrying out the orders entrusted to one ... It is, truly, all of it the pure truth!
> om ... te + doen + bare infinitive gaan: om ... te doen gaan ('to make go hand in hand') is a purpose clause whose te governs doen, which itself takes the bare infinitive gaan. Bureaucratic letter-Dutch piled high.
> Nominalized infinitive aangroeien: het aangroeien ('the swelling') is a separable infinitive (aangroeien) nominalized with het, modified by the adverb dagelyks. fortuinzoekers = compound 'fortune-hunters.'

...dat zulk een huis--ik bedoel Last & Co, makelaars in koffi, Lauriergracht N°. 37--niet omzichtig genoeg wezen kon met het engageeren van sujetten.  
...that a house such as this—I mean Last & Co, coffee brokers, Lauriergracht No. 37—could not be too cautious in the engaging of clerks.
> Modal kon + bare infinitive wezen, verb-final: The dat-clause ends in wezen kon (bare infinitive wezen + modal kon, 'could not be'). niet ... genoeg = 'not ... enough.'
> engageeren / sujetten — French-flavored business jargon: engageeren ('to engage, hire') and sujetten ('clerks, persons') are French loans giving the letter a pretentious commercial polish. The -ee- in engageeren is the 1860 doubled-vowel spelling.

Dit alles is de zuivere waarheid, lezer! Weet ge wel, dat de jonge Duitscher, die op de beurs by pilaar 17 stond, weggeloopen is met de dochter van Busselinck & Waterman?  
All of this is the pure truth, reader! Do you know that the young German who used to stand by pillar 17 at the exchange ran off with the daughter of Busselinck & Waterman?
> Perfect of separable weglopen with zijn: weggeloopen is ('has run off') is the perfect of separable weglopen, taking zijn (motion). The dat-clause is verb-final. ge is literary 'you.'
> Relative die + simple past stond: die opens a relative clause modifying Duitscher, verb-final with stond (strong past of staan). by pilaar 17 = 'by pillar 17,' a real exchange landmark.

Onze Marie wordt ook al dertien in September.  
Our Marie too turns thirteen this September.
> worden as the verb 'to become/turn': wordt here is full verb 'to become/turn' (an age), not a passive auxiliary: 'Marie turns thirteen.' al adds 'already.' The bland aside drips with marriage-market calculation.

...dat ik de eer had gehad van den heer Saffeler te vernemen --Saffeler reist voor Stern--dat de geachte chef der firma, de heer Ludwig Stern, een zoon had, den heer Ernest Stern, die ter volmaking zyner kommercieele kennis, eenigen tyd in een hollandsch huis wenschte geëmploieerd te zyn. Dat ik met het oog op ...  
...that I had had the honor of learning from Mr. Saffeler—Saffeler travels for Stern—that the firm's esteemed head, Mr. Ludwig Stern, had a son, Mr. Ernest Stern, who, to perfect his commercial knowledge, wished to be employed for a while in a Dutch house. That with an eye to ...
> Pluperfect + te-infinitive: had gehad ('had had') is a pluperfect; de eer hebben te + infinitive ('to have the honor to learn') governs te vernemen. Stiffly formal letter-Dutch.
> Genitive zyner + passive te-infinitive: zyner ('of his') is an inflected genitive possessive; ter volmaking = 'for the perfecting (of).' geëmploieerd te zyn ('to be employed') is a passive te-infinitive after wenschte.

Hier herhaalde ik weer al die onzedelykheid, en vertelde de geschiedenis der dochter van Busselinck & Waterman. Niet om iemand zwart te maken ... neen, bekladden ligt nu juist heelemaal niet in myn manier!  
Here I rehearsed all that immorality again, and recounted the affair of the daughter of Busselinck & Waterman. Not to blacken anyone ... no, smearing people is really not at all my way!
> Fronted Hier + V2 inversion (past): The fronted adverb Hier inverts to herhaalde ik ('here I rehearsed'). herhaalde is the weak past of herhalen.
> Genitive der dochter: der dochter ('of the daughter') is a frozen genitive governing the feminine noun, the 1860 alternative to van de dochter.
> Nominalized infinitive bekladden as subject: bekladden ('smearing, slandering') is an infinitive used as the bare subject noun. iets ligt in mijn manier = 'is in my way/nature.'

Maar ... het kan nooit kwaad dat ze 't weten, dunkt me. ...dat ik met het oog dáárop, niets liever wenschte dan den heer Ernest Stern belast te zien met de duitsche korrespondentie van ons huis.  
But ... it can never hurt for them to know it, I should think. ...that with an eye to that, I wished for nothing better than to see Mr. Ernest Stern entrusted with the German correspondence of our house.
> Modal kan + impersonal dunkt me: het kan ... kwaad ('it can do no harm') with the dat-clause verb-final (weten); dunkt me ('it seems to me') is an old impersonal verb with the dative me.
> te-infinitive belast te zien: niets liever wenschen dan ... te zien ('to wish nothing better than to see') governs a te-infinitive; belast te zien = 'to see entrusted.' den heer keeps the old accusative den.

Uit kiesheid vermeed ik alle toespeling op honorarium of salaris.  
Out of delicacy I avoided every allusion to fee or salary.
> Fronted PP + strong past vermeed: The fronted Uit kiesheid ('out of delicacy') inverts to vermeed ik; vermeed is the strong past of vermijden ('to avoid'), with vowel change ij to ee.

Maar ik voegde er by: Dat, indien de heer Ernest Stern het verblyf ten onzen huize --Lauriergracht N° 37--wilde voor lief nemen, myn vrouw zich bereid verklaarde als een moeder voor hem te zorgen, en dat zyn linnengoed in huis zou versteld worden.  
But I added: That, should Mr. Ernest Stern be willing to make do with lodging in our house—Lauriergracht No. 37—my wife declared herself ready to care for him like a mother, and that his linen would be mended in the house.
> Separable erbij voegen: erbij voegen ('to add') is separable and built on the pronominal er: voegde ... er ... by, 'I added (to it).'
> Archaic conditional indien + modal wilde: indien ('if') is the formal/literary equivalent of als, verb-final with modal wilde plus the bare-infinitive idiom voor lief nemen ('to make do with').
> Conditional passive: zou ... worden: zou ... versteld worden ('would be mended') combines the conditional zou with the worden-passive (participle versteld + worden). zyn linnengoed = 'his linen.'

Dit is de zuivere waarheid, want Marie stopt en maast heel lief. En ten-slotte:  
This is the pure truth, for Marie darns and mends very prettily. And finally:
> Coordinating want (no verb-final): want ('for, because') is a coordinating conjunction, so its clause keeps normal V2 order: stopt en maast stay in second position, unlike omdat which would push them to the end.
> stoppen / mazen = to darn and mend: stoppen ('to darn') and mazen (here maast, 'to mend net-like holes') are domestic needlework verbs. Droogstoppel offers his daughter's chores as a selling point to lodge Stern's son cheaply.

Dat by ons de Heer gediend werd. Die kan hy in zyn zak steken, want de Sterns zyn Luthersch.  
That with us the Lord was served. He can pocket that one, for the Sterns are Lutheran.
> Process passive in the past: werd ... gediend: gediend werd ('was served') is a worden-passive in the simple past (werd). The fronted by ons inverts the order. de Heer = 'the Lord.'
> Fronted object Die + modal kan: Fronting the object Die ('that one') inverts to kan hy; the modal kan takes the bare infinitive steken. iets in zijn zak steken = 'to pocket something,' here meaning 'he can keep that point.'

En ik verzond myn brief. Ge begrypt dat de oude Stern niet goedschiks by Busselinck & Waterman kan overgaan, als de jonge by ons aan 't kantoor is.  
And I sent off my letter. You will understand that old Stern cannot decently cross over to Busselinck & Waterman while the son is here at our office.
> Modal kan + separable overgaan, verb-final: The dat-clause is verb-final, ending in kan overgaan (modal + bare infinitive of separable overgaan, 'to cross over'). niet goedschiks = 'not in good grace, not decently.'
> als-clause, verb-final: The als-clause ('while the young one is at our office') is verb-final, ending in is. de jonge = 'the young one (son).'

Ik ben zeer benieuwd naar het antwoord. Om nu terug te komen op myn boek.  
I am very curious about the answer. But to come back now to my book.
> om ... te with separable terugkomen: Om ... terug te komen op ('to come back to') is a purpose/transition clause; separable terugkomen splits around te as terug te komen. A stock phrase for steering the digression back.

Voor eenigen tyd kom ik 's avends door de Kalverstraat, en bleef staan kyken naar den winkel van een kruienier, die zich bezighield met het sorteeren van een partytje Java, ordinair, mooi-geel, Cheribonaard, iets gebroken, met veegsel, dat me zeer interesseerde, want ik let altyd op alles. Daar viel my op-eenmaal een heer in 't oog, die daarnaast voor een boekwinkel stond en me bekend voorkwam.  
A while ago I was passing one evening through the Kalverstraat, and stopped to look into the shop of a grocer who was busy sorting a small lot of Java—common grade, pretty yellow, Cheribon sort, a little broken, with sweepings—which interested me greatly, for I always keep an eye on everything. Then all at once a gentleman caught my notice who was standing nearby in front of a bookshop and seemed familiar to me.
> Historic present + staan blijven + bare infinitive: Droogstoppel slides into the historic present (kom) for vividness, then back to past (bleef). blyven staan kyken stacks bare infinitives ('stopped to look'). 's avends = 's avonds, 'in the evening.'
> Separable opvallen / in het oog vallen + fronted Daar: in het oog vallen ('to catch the eye') splits as viel ... in 't oog; the fronted Daar inverts to viel my, with my (= mij) as the dative experiencer.

Hy scheen ook my te herkennen, want onze blikken ontmoetten elkander gedurig. Ik moet betuigen dat ik te verdiept was in 't veegsel, om terstond optemerken, wat ik namelyk later zag, dat hy vry kaal in de kleeren stak.  
He too seemed to recognize me, for our glances kept meeting. I must confess that I was too absorbed in the sweepings to notice straightaway what I did later see, namely that he was rather threadbare in his clothes.
> schijnen te + infinitive: The verb schijnen ('to seem') governs a following infinitive with te: 'he seemed to recognize me.' Note period spelling Hy for hij and my for mij.
> om … te (purpose): om … te frames a purpose clause closing with te + infinitive: 'too absorbed … to notice at once.' Note that 1860 spelling joins the particle and verb as optemerken (op te merken).
> Subordinate clause, verb-final: dat opens a subordinate clause and pushes the finite verb stak to the very end. doubled vowels (kleeren) and vry for vrij mark the 1860 page. The idiom in de kleeren steken describes how one is dressed — here threadbare.

Anders had ik de zaak daarby gelaten. Maar op-eens schoot my de gedachte in, dat hy misschien reiziger was van een duitsch huis, die een solieden makelaar zocht.  
Otherwise I should have let the matter rest there. But all at once the thought struck me that he might be a traveler for some German house, looking for a sound broker.
> Pluperfect (conditional sense): had … gelaten is the pluperfect — imperfect of hebben plus the participle gelaten — here carrying an unreal 'I should have let' meaning. daarby is a pronominal adverb fusing daar + bij.
> Separable verb: inschieten: The separable prefix in- splits off and lands at clause end: in main-clause inversion the stem schoot stands second and in closes the thought. The idiom 'het schiet me in' = the thought suddenly struck me.

Hy had dan ook wel iets van een Duitscher, en van een reiziger ook. Hy was zeer blond, had blauwe oogen, en in houding en kleeding iets dat den vreemdeling verraadde.  
And indeed he had something of a German about him, and of a traveler too. He was very fair, had blue eyes, and there was something in his bearing and his dress that betrayed the foreigner.
> Case remnant: den: den is the old masculine accusative article, frozen into 1860 prose: den vreemdeling marks 'the foreigner' as direct object. Modern Dutch would simply write de.
> Relative dat for a het-word: The relative pronoun dat refers back to neuter iets ('something'); de-words would take die instead. verraadde is the weak imperfect of verraden.

In-plaats van een behoorlyken winterjas, hing hem een soort van sjaal over den schouder--Frits zegt "shawl" maar dit doe ik niet--alsof hy zoo van de reis kwam. Ik meende een klant te zien, en gaf hem een adreskaartje: Last & Co, makelaars in koffi, Lauriergracht N° 37.  
Instead of a proper winter coat, a kind of shawl hung over his shoulder—Frits says "shawl," but I do not—as though he had just come off a journey. I took him for a customer, and gave him a business card: Last & Co, coffee brokers, Lauriergracht No. 37.
> Inversion puts the verb second: When a clause opens with the adverbial In-plaats van …, the finite verb hing moves ahead of the subject (een soort van sjaal) to keep the verb in second position. den schouder again shows the old accusative den.
> menen te + infinitive: menen ('to think/suppose') takes te + infinitive: 'I thought I saw a customer.' Contrast the bare infinitive that modals require.

Hy hield het by de gasvlam, en zeide: "ik dank u, maar ik heb me vergist.  
He held it up to the gaslight and said: "I thank you, but I have made a mistake.
> Reflexive perfect: zich vergissen: zich vergissen ('to be mistaken') is reflexive; in the first person the reflexive is me. The perfect heb … vergist places the participle at clause end.
> Polite 'thank you': ik dank u is a formal set phrase ('I thank you'), using the polite pronoun u. The stranger is courteous even as he declines the card.

Ik dacht het genoegen te hebben een ouden schoolkameraad voor me te zien, maar ...  
I thought I had the pleasure of seeing an old schoolfellow before me, but ...
> Stacked te + infinitive: denken governs te hebben, and the noun phrase het genoegen in turn governs a second te-infinitive (te zien): 'I thought I had the pleasure of seeing.' Such te-chains are common in formal Dutch.
> Old accusative -en on the adjective: ouden carries the older masculine accusative ending -en on the attributive adjective. Modern Dutch keeps only the plain -e: een oude schoolkameraad.

Last? Dit is de naam niet."  
Last? That is not the name."
> niet for sentence negation: niet (not geen) negates here because the noun de naam is definite; geen would only negate an indefinite noun. Word order places niet at the end after the definite predicate.

--Pardon, zei ik--want ik ben altyd beleefd--ik ben m'nheer Droogstoppel, Batavus Droogstoppel. Last en Co is de firma, makelaars in koffi, Lauriergr ...  
—Pardon me, said I—for I am always polite—I am Mr. Droogstoppel, Batavus Droogstoppel. Last & Co is the firm, coffee brokers, Laurierg ...
> Contraction: m'nheer: m'nheer is a spoken contraction of mijnheer ('mister/sir'), the period spelling capturing Droogstoppel's clipped self-introduction.

--Wel, Droogstoppel, kent ge my niet meer? Zie my eens goed aan.  
—Why, Droogstoppel, don't you know me anymore? Have a good look at me.
> The pronoun ge: ge is the older/literary subject 'you,' familiar in 1860 prose where modern Dutch uses je or jij. niet meer = 'no longer.'
> Imperative + separable verb: Zie … aan is an imperative of the separable verb aanzien ('look at'); the bare stem Zie commands while the prefix aan goes to the end. eens softens the order.

Hoe meer ik hem aanzag, hoe meer ik my herinnerde hem meer gezien te hebben. Maar, zonderling, zyn gelaat deed my de uitwerking alsof ik vreemde parfumerien rook.  
The more I looked at him, the more I recalled having seen him before. But, strange to say, his face produced on me the effect of smelling some strange perfumes.
> Correlative hoe … hoe …: The hoe … hoe … construction expresses 'the more … the more …'; each clause is subordinate, so the verb stands at the end (aanzag, herinnerde).
> Reflexive zich herinneren + perfect te-infinitive: zich herinneren ('to recall') is reflexive (here my) and governs the perfect infinitive gezien te hebben, 'to have seen.'

Lach hier niet om, lezer, straks zult ge zien hoe dit kwam. Ik ben verzekerd dat hy geen drup reukwerk by zich droeg, en toch rook ik iets aangenaams, iets sterks, iets wat me herinnerde aan ... daar had ik het!  
Do not laugh at this, reader; presently you will see how it came about. I am certain that he carried not a drop of scent on him, and yet I smelled something pleasant, something strong, something that reminded me of ... there I had it!
> Imperative + pronominal adverb: Lach is an imperative; hier … om is a split pronominal adverb (= 'about this'), where hier replaces a thing and om is the preposition. The pieces straddle the negation niet.
> Future with zullen: zullen + the bare infinitive zien forms the explicit future; inversion after the adverb straks keeps zult in second position. ge is the literary 'you.'
> Relative wat after iets: After indefinite iets ('something') the relative pronoun is wat, not dat: 'something that reminded me of …'.

--Zyt gy het, riep ik, die my van den Griek hebt verlost? --Wel zeker, zeide hy, dat was ik.  
—Is it you, I cried, who once rescued me from the Greek? —Why, certainly, said he, that was I.
> Archaic gij + agreeing relative: gy (gij) is the solemn literary 'you'; its verb takes the old -t ending (Zyt, hebt). The relative die refers to gy, so the verb hebt agrees in the second person.
> Perfect tense, verb-final: In this relative clause the perfect hebt … verlost wraps around the clause, with the participle verlost at the end. den Griek shows the old accusative den.

En hoe gaat het U? Ik vertelde dat we met ons dertienen op 't kantoor waren, en dat er zooveel by ons omging.  
And how are you getting on? I told him that there were thirteen of us at the office, and that we did so much business.
> met ons + numeral: met ons dertienen is the idiom 'there were thirteen of us' — met + a possessive/object pronoun + a numeral in -en counts the group. Droogstoppel repeats it as a boast.
> er + impersonal subject: er here supplies a vague subject for the impersonal omgaan ('to go on / be transacted'): 'so much went on with us.' zooveel shows doubled-vowel 1860 spelling.

En toen vroeg ik hoe het hèm ging, wat me later speet, want hy scheen niet in goede omstandigheden te verkeeren, en ik houd niet van arme menschen, omdat er gewoonlyk eigen schuld onder loopt, daar de Heer niet iemand verlaten zou, die hem trouw gediend had.  
And then I asked how he himself was getting on, which I later regretted, for he seemed not to be in good circumstances, and I have no liking for poor people, because as a rule it is their own fault, since the Lord would not forsake anyone who had served Him faithfully.
> Impersonal spijten: spijten works impersonally with an object pronoun: het speet me = 'it grieved/regretted me.' The relative wat ('which') refers to the whole preceding clause.
> Subordinators omdat and daar: Both omdat ('because') and the more formal daar ('since/as') are subordinating conjunctions that send their verbs (loopt, zou … verlaten) to the clause end. daar for 'since' is a literary touch.
> Pluperfect in a relative clause: had … gediend is the pluperfect of dienen, set verb-final by the relative die. The whole sentence is Droogstoppel's self-serving theology that the poor deserve their lot.

Had ik eenvoudig gezegd, "we zyn met ons dertienen, en ... goeien avend verder!" dan was ik van hem af geweest.  
Had I simply said, "there are thirteen of us, and ... a good evening to you!" then I should have been rid of him.
> Conditional by inversion: A conditional can drop als and instead front the verb: Had ik … gezegd = 'Had I said …'. The main clause then opens with dan and its own pluperfect was … geweest.
> Idiom: 'van iemand af zijn': ergens/van iemand af zijn means 'to be rid of someone or something.' goeien avend (period for goeden avond) = 'good evening.'

Maar door dat vragen en antwoorden werd het hoe langer hoe moeielyker--Frits zegt: hoe langs zoo moeielyker, maar dit doe ik niet--hoe moeielyker dus, om van hem verlost te worden. Aan den anderen kant moet ik ook weer erkennen dat ge dan dit boek niet hadt te lezen gekregen, want het is een gevolg van die ontmoeting.  
But with all that asking and answering it grew harder and harder—Frits says: more and more difficulter, but I do not—harder, then, to get rid of him. On the other hand I must again admit that you would not have had this book to read, for it is a consequence of that meeting.
> worden-passive + om … te: verlost te worden is a passive infinitive (worden + participle = the process passive), framed by om … te as a purpose: 'to be rid of him.' hoe langer hoe = 'the longer, the more.'
> Archaic hadt + period spelling: hadt is the old second-person form of had agreeing with ge; the construction te lezen … gekregen means 'would not have got this book to read.' moeielyker shows 1860 spelling of moeilijker.

Ik houd er van, het goede optemerken, en wie dit niet doen, zyn ontevreden menschen die ik niet lyden kan. Ja, ja, hy was het, die my uit de handen van den Griek had verlost!  
I like to take note of the good in things, and those who do not are discontented people whom I cannot abide. Yes, yes, it was he who had rescued me from the hands of the Greek!
> Nominalized adjective + joined infinitive: het goede ('the good [thing]') is an adjective used as a neuter noun. optemerken is 1860 spelling for op te merken (the separable opmerken split by te).
> Relative wie without antecedent: wie ('those who') introduces a free relative with no antecedent. die then opens a second relative clause; lyden kan (= can stand/abide) sits verb-final.

Denk nu niet dat ik ooit door zeeroovers ben genomen geweest, of dat ik twist heb gehad in den Levant. Ik heb u reeds gezegd dat ik na myn trouwen, met myn vrouw naar den Haag ben gegaan.  
Now do not imagine that I was ever taken by pirates, or that I had a quarrel in the Levant. I have already told you that after my marriage I went with my wife to The Hague.
> Perfect passive with zijn: ben genomen geweest is a (doubly marked) perfect passive — zijn + participle, with the extra geweest typical of older Dutch — 'that I was ever taken.' door marks the agent.
> Motion perfect with zijn: Verbs of motion form the perfect with zijn, not hebben: ben … gegaan = 'I went/have gone.' myn trouwen is an infinitive used as a noun ('my marrying').

Daar hebben wy het Mauritshuis gezien, en flanel gekocht in de Veenestraat. Dit is het eenige uitstapje dat de zaken my ooit hebben veroorloofd, omdat er zooveel by ons omgaat.  
There we saw the Mauritshuis and bought flannel in the Veenestraat. That is the one excursion business has ever allowed me, because we do so much of it.
> Relative dat + perfect: dat (for the neuter het-word uitstapje) opens a relative clause whose perfect hebben … veroorloofd lands verb-final. omdat er zooveel by ons omgaat repeats his favorite excuse.

Neen, in Amsterdam zelf had hy om-mynentwil een Griek den neus aan 't bloeden geslagen. Want hy bemoeide zich altyd met dingen die hem niet aangingen.  
No, it was in Amsterdam itself that he had bloodied a Greek's nose on my account. For he was always meddling in things that were no concern of his.
> Pluperfect, framed: had … geslagen is the pluperfect of slaan; everything else nests between the auxiliary and participle. den neus shows the old accusative den.
> Reflexive zich bemoeien met: zich bemoeien met ('to meddle in') is reflexive; the third-person reflexive is zich. die … aangingen is a relative clause on dingen, verb-final.
> Archaic: om-mynentwil: om mijnentwil means 'for my sake / on my account,' a frozen genitive-based phrase. The hyphenated 1860 spelling joins the pieces.

Het was in drie of vier en dertig, geloof ik, en in September, want er was kermis te Amsterdam.  
It was in 'thirty-three or 'thirty-four, I believe, and in September, for there was a fair on at Amsterdam.
> Coordinator want + existential er: want ('for/because') is a coordinating conjunction — it does NOT send the verb to the end (was stays second). er was = 'there was'; te Amsterdam uses literary te for 'at/in.'

Daar myn oude luî van voornemen waren een predikant van my te maken, leerde ik latyn. Later heb ik myzelf dikwyls afgevraagd, waarom men latyn moet verstaan, om in 't hollandsch te zeggen: "God is goed?" Genoeg, ik was op de latynsche school--nu zeggen ze gymnasium--en daar was kermis ... in Amsterdam, meen ik.  
Since my old folks intended to make a parson of me, I was learning Latin. Later I have often asked myself why one has to understand Latin in order to say in Dutch: "God is good." Enough—I was at the Latin school—nowadays they call it a gymnasium—and there was a fair on ... in Amsterdam, I mean.
> daar 'since' + om … te sense: daar opens a causal subordinate clause ('since'), sending waren to the end. van voornemen zijn = 'to intend'; te maken is the governed te-infinitive.
> Modal moet + om … te purpose: The modal moet sends verstaan to the end as a bare infinitive, while om … te zeggen states the purpose. men is the impersonal 'one.'

Op de Westermarkt stonden kramen, en als ge een Amsterdammer zyt, lezer, en nagenoeg van myn leeftyd, zult ge u herinneren hoe daaronder één was, die uitmuntte door de zwarte oogen en de lange vlechten van een meisje, dat als een Griekin gekleed was. Ook haar vader was een Griek, of althans hy zag er uit als een Griek.  
On the Westermarkt there were stalls, and if you are an Amsterdammer, reader, and roughly of my age, you will recall how among them there was one that stood out for the black eyes and the long braids of a girl dressed like a Greek maiden. Her father too was a Greek, or at least he looked like one.
> Conditional als + reflexive future: als ('if') sends zyt to the end of its clause; the main clause inverts (zult ge) for verb-second, with the reflexive u herinneren ('you will recall'). ge/u are the literary 'you.'
> Relative dat + zijn-passive state: dat refers to neuter meisje ('girl'); gekleed was is a zijn-passive describing a resulting state ('was dressed'). The diminutive meisje is always neuter, hence dat.

Ze verkochten allerlei reukgoed. Ik was juist oud genoeg om het meisje mooi te vinden, zonder evenwel den moed te hebben haar aantespreken.  
They sold all manner of perfumes. I was just old enough to find the girl pretty, without yet having the courage to speak to her.
> om … te and zonder … te: Two te-infinitive frames stack: om … te vinden ('to find') states what he was old enough for, and zonder … te hebben ('without having') the qualification.
> Joined separable infinitive: aantespreken is 1860 spelling for aan te spreken — the separable verb aanspreken ('to address') split by te. Modern Dutch writes the three words apart.

Dit zou my ook weinig gebaat hebben, want meisjes van achttien jaren beschouwen een jongen van zestien, als een kind. En hierin hebben ze groot gelyk.  
It would have done me little good in any case, for girls of eighteen regard a boy of sixteen as a child. And in this they are quite right.
> Conditional zou + perfect infinitive: zou … gebaat hebben is the conditional perfect: 'it would have helped me little.' baten ('to avail') is impersonal here with object my.
> Coordinator want keeps V2: want ('for') does not invert the clause — beschouwen stays in normal main-clause position. beschouwen … als = 'to regard … as.'

Toch kwamen wy, jongens van quarta, altyd 's avends op de Westermarkt om dat meisje te zien. Nu was hy die daar voor me stond met zyn sjaal, eens daarby, schoon hy een paar jaren jonger was dan de anderen, en dus nog te kinderachtig om naar de Griekin te kyken.  
Yet we boys of the fourth form would go to the Westermarkt every evening to see that girl. Now he who stood there before me with his shawl was once among them, though he was a couple of years younger than the rest, and so still too childish to be looking at the Greek girl.
> Inversion + om … te purpose: Toch fronts the clause, so the verb kwamen comes second before wy. om … te zien states the purpose ('to see that girl'). 's avends is the genitive-based time adverb 'in the evening.'
> Archaic schoon + comparative dan: schoon here means 'although' (short for ofschoon), a literary subordinator sending was to the end. jonger … dan is the comparative with dan for 'than.'
> quarta: quarta is the Latin-school name for a particular form/year (here roughly the fourth class). The Latinate label fits these boys learning Latin.

Maar hy was de primus van onze klasse--want knap was hy, dit moet ik erkennen--en hy hield veel van spelen, stoeien en vechten. Dáárom was hy by ons.  
But he was the head of our class—for clever he was, I must admit that—and he was very fond of games, roughhousing, and fighting. That was why he was with us.
> Fronting for emphasis (V2): knap ('clever') is fronted for emphasis, so the verb was still stands second before the subject hy. This stylistic inversion is common in spoken-feeling narration.
> primus: primus (Latin 'first') is the school term for the top boy of the class. Multatuli lets Droogstoppel sprinkle his classical schooling through the anecdote.

Terwyl we dus--we waren wel met ons tienen--vry ver van de kraam af, naar die Griekin stonden te kyken, en beraadslaagden hoe wy 't moesten aanleggen om kennis met haar te maken, werd er besloten geld by-een te leggen om iets in die kraam te koopen. Maar toen was de goede raad duur, om te weten wie de stoute schoenen zou aantrekken om het meisjen aantespreken.  
So while we—there were a good ten of us—stood a fair way off from the stall, gazing at that Greek girl and debating how we ought to manage an acquaintance with her, it was decided that we should pool some money to buy something at that stall. But then good counsel was dear, when it came to knowing who would screw up the courage to address the girl.
> staan te + infinitive (progressive): staan te + infinitive expresses an ongoing action: stonden te kyken = 'stood looking / were looking.' Terwyl ('while') is a subordinator, so the verbs go to the end.
> Impersonal worden-passive with er: werd … besloten is an impersonal worden-passive ('it was decided'); er fills the empty subject slot. by-een te leggen ('to pool money') is a te-infinitive.
> Idiom: 'de stoute schoenen aantrekken': Literally 'to put on the bold shoes,' the idiom means to screw up one's courage to do something daring — here, to dare speak to the girl.

Ieder wilde, maar niemand durfde. Er werd geloot, en het lot viel op my.  
Everyone wanted to, but no one dared. Lots were drawn, and the lot fell on me.
> Negative pronoun niemand: niemand ('no one') is itself the negation — Dutch allows only one negative per clause, so no extra niet is added. wilde and durfde are weak imperfects.
> Impersonal passive with er: Er werd geloot is an impersonal worden-passive ('lots were drawn'), needing er as a dummy subject because loten has no object. het lot viel op my = 'the lot fell on me.'

Nu erken ik, dat ik niet gaarne gevaren trotseer.  
Now I admit that I am not fond of braving dangers.
> Subordinate clause, verb-final: dat sends the present-tense trotseer to the end. gaarne is the literary/archaic word for graag ('gladly'), and gevaren is the plural of gevaar ('danger').

Ik ben man en vader, en houd ieder die het gevaar zoekt, voor een gek, wat ook in de Schrift staat. Het is my inderdaad aangenaam optemerken hoe ik my in myn denkbeelden over gevaar en zulke dingen, gelyk ben gebleven, daar ik thans over zoo-iets nog juist dezelfde meening koester, als dien avend toen ik daar by de kraam van den Griek stond, met de twaalf stuivers die we saamgelegd hadden, in de hand.  
I am a husband and a father, and I hold anyone who courts danger to be a fool, which is also what the Scripture says. It is in truth a pleasure to me to observe how I have stayed the same in my ideas about danger and such things, for to this day I still cherish exactly the same opinion about such matters as on that evening when I stood there by the Greek's stall, with the twelve stuivers we had pooled in my hand.
> houden … voor + embedded relative: iemand voor X houden = 'to consider someone X.' die het gevaar zoekt is a relative clause modifying ieder, with zoekt at the end.
> Reflexive blijven + daar 'since': zich gelijk blijven = 'to stay true to oneself' (reflexive my); ben gebleven is the perfect of blijven (motion/change verb, hence zijn). daar again means 'since.'

Maar zie, uit valsche schaamte durfde ik niet zeggen dat ik niet durfde, en bovendien, ik moest wel vooruit, want myn makkers drongen me, en weldra stond ik voor de kraam. Het meisje zag ik niet: ik zag niets!  
But there—out of false shame I dared not say that I did not dare, and besides, I had to go forward, for my comrades were pushing me, and before long I stood before the stall. The girl I did not see: I saw nothing!
> Fronted adverbial → V2: The opening adverbial uit valsche schaamte forces inversion (durfde ik), keeping the verb second. The embedded dat-clause then sends its durfde to the end.
> Modal moet + coordinator want: moest is the modal 'had to' (vooruit = 'forward'); want ('for') joins a main clause without inverting drongen. wel adds emphatic 'indeed.'

Alles werd me groen en geel voor de oogen. Ik stamelde een aoristus primus van ik weet niet welk werkwoord ...  
Everything went green and yellow before my eyes. I stammered out an aoristus primus of I know not what verb ...
> Idiom: 'groen en geel voor de ogen': To see 'green and yellow before the eyes' is to feel dizzy or faint with shock — the schoolboy's terror as he faces the girl.

--Plaît-il? zeide zy. Ik herstelde my eenigszins, en ging voort:  
—Plaît-il? said she. I collected myself somewhat, and went on:
> Reflexive zich herstellen: zich herstellen ('to collect/recover oneself') is reflexive — first person my. eenigszins ('somewhat') is an archaic-flavored adverb.

--Meenin aeide thea, en ... dat Egypte een geschenk van den Nyl was.  
—Mēnin aeide thea, and ... that Egypt was a gift of the Nile.

Ik ben overtuigd dat ik in de kennismaking zou geslaagd zyn, indien niet op dat oogenblik een myner makkers uit kinderachtige baldadigheid my een zoo harden stoot in den rug had gegeven, dat ik heel onzacht tegen de uitstalkast aanvloog, die op halvemanshoogte de voorzy van de kraam afsloot.  
I am convinced I should have succeeded in striking up the acquaintance, had not at that moment one of my comrades, out of childish mischief, given me so hard a shove in the back that I went crashing most ungently against the show-case which closed off the front of the stall at half a man's height.
> Conditional zou + unreal indien: zou … geslaagd zyn is the conditional perfect ('I should have succeeded'); indien is the formal 'if,' and the negated had gegeven is the pluperfect in the unreal condition.
> Genitive: myner makkers: myner is the old genitive of mijn, giving 'one of my comrades.' This inflected possessive genitive marks the 1860 literary register.
> Separable afsluiten in a relative clause: die opens a relative clause on uitstalkast; the separable verb afsluiten ('to close off') keeps its prefix in afsloot at clause end. op halvemanshoogte is a compound ('half a man's height').

Ik voelde een greep in myn nek ... een tweeden greep veel lager ... ik zweefde een oogenblik ... en vóór ik recht begreep hoe de zaken stonden, was ik in de kraam van den Griek, die in verstaanbaar fransch zei dat ik een gamin was, en dat hy de policie roepen zou. Nu was ik wel dicht by het meisje, maar genoegen deed het me niet.  
I felt a grip on my neck ... a second grip much lower down ... I hovered an instant in the air ... and before I rightly grasped how matters stood, I was inside the Greek's stall, and he was telling me in plain French that I was a gamin, and that he would call the police. Now I was indeed close to the girl, but it gave me no pleasure.
> Stacked subordinate clauses: vóór ('before') sends begreep to the end, and the embedded indirect question hoe de zaken stonden likewise ends in its verb stonden. Two verb-final clauses nest neatly.
> Future zou(den) verb-final: Inside the dat-clause the future auxiliary zou and its infinitive roepen are pushed to the end: 'that he would call the police.' den Griek shows the old accusative den.

Ik schreide, en bad om genade, want ik zat vreeselyk in angst. Maar het baatte niet.  
I wept, and begged for mercy, for I was in a dreadful fright. But it was no use.
> Weak and strong imperfects: schreide (from schreien, 'to weep') and bad (from bidden, 'to pray/beg') are simple-past forms; schreien is weak (schreide, dental -de), while bidden is strong, changing its vowel to bad. want ('for') joins the reason without inversion.
> Impersonal baten + niet: het baatte niet = 'it was no use,' an impersonal het subject with the simple-past baatte. niet negates the whole clause.

De Griek hield me by den arm, en schopte my. Ik zocht naar myn makkers--we hadden juist dien morgen veel over Scaevola te doen gehad, die zyn hand in 't vuur stak, en in hun latynsche opstellen hadden ze dit zoo heel mooi gevonden--jawel!  
The Greek held me by the arm and kicked me. I looked round for my comrades—that very morning we had had a great deal to do about Scaevola, who put his hand into the fire, and in their Latin compositions they had thought this so very fine—oh yes, indeed!
> Pluperfect of 'te doen hebben': hadden … gehad is the pluperfect of hebben; veel te doen hebben met = 'to have much to do with / busy oneself over.' The te-infinitive te doen nests inside.
> Relative die + strong imperfect: die introduces a relative clause on Scaevola; stak is the strong past of steken ('to put/thrust'). The hand-in-fire image returns as the chapter's running motif.

Niemand was daar gebleven om voor my een hand in 't vuur te steken ... Zóó meende ik.  
Not one had stayed behind to put a hand into the fire for me ... So I supposed.
> niemand + om … te: niemand ('no one') carries the single negation; was … gebleven is the pluperfect of blijven (with zijn). om … te steken states the purpose left undone.

Maar zie, daar vloog op-eens myn Sjaalman door de achterdeur de kraam in. Hy was niet groot of sterk, en pas een jaar of dertien oud, maar hy was een vlug en dapper mannetje.  
But there—all at once my Shawlman came flying in through the back of the stall. He was neither big nor strong, and barely thirteen years old, but he was a nimble, plucky little fellow.
> Inversion + separable 'in': Fronting daar forces inversion (vloog … myn Sjaalman). de kraam in shows the separable directional in landing at the end ('flew into the stall').
> Diminutive mannetje: mannetje is the diminutive of man ('little fellow'), affectionate here; like all -je diminutives it is neuter. The attributive adjectives vlug and dapper take no -e before the neuter een-word.

Nog zie 'k zyn oogen flikkeren--anders zagen ze flauw--hy gaf den Griek een vuistslag, en ik was gered. Later heb ik gehoord dat de Griek hem duchtig geslagen heeft, maar omdat ik een vast principe heb, me nooit te bemoeien met dingen die me niet aangaan, ben ik terstond weggeloopen.  
I can still see his eyes flashing—usually they looked dull—he dealt the Greek a blow with his fist, and I was saved. Later I heard that the Greek thrashed him soundly, but since I hold to a fixed principle never to meddle in things that are no concern of mine, I ran off at once.
> omdat verb-final + reflexive te-infinitive: omdat ('because') sends heb to the end; me … te bemoeien is the reflexive te-infinitive of zich bemoeien. nooit supplies the single negation.
> Motion perfect with zijn: weglopen ('to run off') is a motion verb, so its perfect uses zijn: ben … weggeloopen. The separable prefix weg fuses into the participle.

Ik heb het dus niet gezien.  
So I did not see it.
> Present perfect with hebben: heb … gezien is the present perfect of zien; the participle gezien closes the clause. dus ('so/thus') is a coordinator that does not invert the verb.

Ziedaar de reden waarom zyn trekken me zoo aan reukwerk herinnerden, en hoe men in Amsterdam twist kan krygen met een Griek.  
That is the reason his features so reminded me of perfume, and how one may come to quarrel with a Greek in Amsterdam.
> Relative adverb waarom: waarom ('the reason why') opens a relative clause whose verb herinnerden goes to the end. herinneren aan (non-reflexive) = 'to remind of'; here zyn trekken (his features) reminded me aan reukwerk (of perfume). The reflexive zich herinneren means 'to remember/recall', a separate construction.
> Modal kan in an indirect question: The indirect question with hoe sends the modal kan and infinitive krygen to the end. men is impersonal 'one'; twist krijgen = 'to come to quarrel.'

Als op latere kermissen die man weer met zyn kraam op de Westermarkt stond, ging ik my altyd elders vermaken.  
Whenever, at later fairs, that man stood again with his stall on the Westermarkt, I always went off to amuse myself elsewhere.
> Conditional/temporal als + reflexive: Als ('whenever') opens the subordinate clause (stond at end); the main clause inverts (ging ik). zich vermaken ('to amuse oneself') is reflexive — my.

Daar ik veel van wysgeerige opmerkingen houd, moet ik u toch even zeggen, lezer, hoe wonderbaar de zaken dezer wereld aan elkander hangen.  
Since I am very fond of philosophical observations, I really must just tell you, reader, how wondrously the affairs of this world hang together.
> daar 'since' + modal moet: daar ('since') opens the causal clause (houd at the end); the main clause uses the modal moet, sending zeggen to the end as a bare infinitive.
> Genitive: dezer wereld: dezer is the old feminine genitive of deze: 'the affairs of this world.' The inflected demonstrative is a hallmark of solemn 1860 prose.

Als de oogen van dat meisje minder zwart waren geweest, als ze korter vlechten had gehad, of als men my niet tegen die winkelkast had aangeworpen, zoudt ge nu dit boek niet lezen. Wees dus dankbaar dat dit zoo gebeurd is.  
Had that girl's eyes been less black, had her braids been shorter, or had I not been flung against that show-case, you would not be reading this book now. Be thankful, then, that it happened as it did.
> Unreal conditional als … zou: Three als-clauses with pluperfects (waren geweest, had gehad, had aangeworpen) set up an unreal past condition; the main clause uses conditional zoudt … niet lezen ('you would not be reading').
> Imperative Wees: Wees is the irregular imperative of zijn ('be'). gebeurd is is the perfect of the change-of-state verb gebeuren, which takes zijn.

Geloof me, alles in de wereld is goed, zóó als het is, en ontevreden menschen die altyd klagen, zyn myn vrienden niet. Daar hebt ge Busselinck & Waterman ... maar ik moet voortgaan, want myn boek moet af voor de voorjaarsveiling.  
Believe me, everything in the world is good, just as it is, and discontented people who are forever complaining are no friends of mine. There you have Busselinck & Waterman ... but I must press on, for my book has to be finished before the spring auction.
> Predicate adjective (no -e): goed stands after the verb as a predicate, so it takes no ending; only attributive adjectives before a noun add -e. zóó als = 'just as.'
> Modal moet with omitted infinitive: moet … af compresses moet af zijn ('must be finished'); the infinitive zijn is understood. af is the separable 'finished/done.'

Ronduit gezegd--want ik houd van de waarheid--was my het weerzien van dien persoon niet aangenaam.  
To speak plainly—for I am fond of the truth—seeing that person again was not agreeable to me.
> Fronted participle → V2 + dative my: The fronted Ronduit gezegd ('frankly speaking') triggers inversion (was … het weerzien). my is a dative-of-interest ('to me'); dien shows the old accusative den-form of die.

Ik bemerkte terstond dat het geen soliede konnexie was.  
I noticed at once that it was no sound connection.
> geen for indefinite negation: geen (not niet) negates the indefinite noun konnexie ('connection'). dat sends the verb was to the end. konnexie is a period spelling of connectie.

Hy zag zeer bleek, en toen ik hem vroeg hoe laat het was, wist hy 't niet.  
He looked very pale, and when I asked him what time it was, he did not know.
> toen + main-clause inversion: toen ('when,' past) opens a subordinate clause (vroeg at end), and the indirect question hoe laat het was is verb-final too. The main clause then inverts: wist hy.

Dit zyn dingen, waar een mensch op let, die zoo'n twintig jaar de beurs bezocht heeft, en zooveel heeft bygewoond. Ik heb al wat huizen zien vallen!  
These are the sort of things a man notices who has frequented the exchange for some twenty years and seen so much go on. I have watched many a house go under!
> Relative die + perfect: die opens a relative clause on mensch, with the perfect bezocht heeft pushed verb-final. waar … op let is a split pronominal adverb (= waarop, 'on which').

Ik meende dat hy rechts zou gaan, en zei dat ik links moest. Doch zie, hy ging ook links, en ik kon dus niet vermyden in gesprek te treden.  
I supposed he would turn right, and said that I had to go left. But there—he turned left as well, and so I could not avoid falling into conversation.
> Future zou verb-final: Inside the dat-clause the conditional/future zou gaan goes to the end: 'that he would go right.' meende is the weak imperfect of menen.
> Archaic doch: doch is a literary/archaic word for maar ('but/yet'); as a coordinator it does not invert the following clause. zie is an interjection ('lo, see').
> Modal kon + te-infinitive complement: The modal kon ('could') governs vermyden; vermijden in turn takes the te-infinitive te treden ('to enter'). in gesprek treden = 'to fall into conversation.'

Maar ik bedacht gedurig dat hy niet wist hoe laat het was, en bespeurde bovendien dat zyn jasje tot aan de kin was dichtgeknoopt--dat een zeer slecht merk is--zoodat ik den toon van ons onderhoud wat flauw blyven liet. Hy verhaalde my dat hy in Indie was geweest, dat hy getrouwd was, dat hy kinderen had.  
But I kept reflecting that he did not know what time it was, and noticed besides that his jacket was buttoned up to the chin—which is a very bad sign—so that I kept the tone of our exchange rather cool. He related to me that he had been in the Indies, that he was married, that he had children.
> zijn-passive state + diminutive jasje: was dichtgeknoopt is a zijn-passive of resulting state ('was buttoned up'). jasje is the diminutive of jas ('little jacket'), and therefore neuter.
> Stacked dat-clauses, verb-final: Three parallel dat-clauses each push their verbs to the end (was geweest, was, had). The triple repetition mimics the man's halting confession.

Ik had daar niets tegen, maar vond er niets belangryks in. By de Kapelsteeg--ik ga anders nooit door die steeg, omdat het voor een fatsoenlyk man niet staat, vind ik--maar ditmaal wilde ik by de Kapelsteeg rechts-af-slaan.  
I had nothing to say against that, but found nothing of importance in it either. At the Kapelsteeg—otherwise I never go down that alley, because it does not become a respectable man, in my opinion—but this once I meant to turn off to the right at the Kapelsteeg.
> Idiom: 'het staat niet': het staat niet means 'it is not done / it is unbecoming.' fatsoenlyk ('respectable') is one of Droogstoppel's favorite self-flattering words.

Ik wachtte tot wy dat straatje byna voorby waren, om goed te doen blyken dat zyn weg rechtuit leidde, en toen zei ik zeer beleefd ... want beleefd ben ik altyd, men kan nooit weten hoe men later iemand noodig heeft:  
I waited until we were nearly past that little street, the better to make it plain that his way ran straight on, and then I said very politely ... for polite I always am, one can never tell when one may have need of someone later:
> tot subordinate + om … te: tot ('until') opens a subordinate clause (waren at end), and om … te doen blyken ('to make plain') states the purpose. voorbij zijn = 'to be past.'
> Modal kan + impersonal men: men ('one') is the impersonal subject; the modal kan governs weten. The indirect question hoe … heeft is verb-final. nooit carries the negation.

--Het was me byzonder aangenaam u weer te zien, m'nheer ... r ... r!  
—It has been a particular pleasure to see you again, Mr. ... er ... er!
> Impersonal het + te-infinitive subject: het is a dummy subject anticipating the real subject u weer te zien ('to see you again'); me is the dative ('to me'). byzonder is period spelling of bijzonder.

En ... èn ... èn ... ik rekommandeer me! Ik moet hierin.  
And ... and ... and ... I take my leave! I must turn in here.
> Reflexive: zich recommanderen: zich recommanderen is a (Frenchified) reflexive set phrase, 'I take my leave / commend myself.' The reflexive me marks the first person.

Toen keek hy me heel gek aan, en zuchtte, en vatte opeens een knoop van myn jas ...  
Then he looked at me very oddly, and sighed, and all at once took hold of a button of my coat ...
> Separable aankijken + inversion: Fronting Toen forces inversion (keek hy); the separable prefix aan of aankijken ('to look at') lands at the end. vatte … een knoop = 'took hold of a button.'

--Beste Droogstoppel, zeide hy, ik heb u iets te vragen. Er ging my een rilling door de leden.  
—My dear Droogstoppel, said he, I have something to ask of you. A shiver ran through my limbs.
> hebben + te-infinitive (obligation): iets te vragen hebben = 'to have something to ask' — hebben with a te-infinitive expresses something one must/can do. u is the polite object 'you.'
> er + dative 'me': er fills the front slot before the real subject een rilling ('a shiver'); my is a dative of interest. door de leden = 'through the limbs.' A vivid bodily idiom.

Hy wist niet hoe laat het was, en wilde my iets vragen! Natuurlyk antwoordde ik dat ik geen tyd had, en naar de beurs moest, schoon het avend was.  
He did not know what time it was, and wanted to ask me something! Naturally I answered that I had no time, and had to be at the exchange, although it was evening.
> Modal wilde + bare infinitive: The modal wilde ('wanted') sends the main verb vragen to the end as a bare infinitive (no te). The indirect question hoe laat het was is verb-final.
> Archaic schoon 'although': schoon ('although') is a literary subordinator that sends was to the end. avend is period spelling of avond ('evening').

Maar als men zoo'n twintig jaren de beurs heeft bezocht ... en iemand wil u iets vragen, zonder te weten hoe laat het is ... Ik maakte myn knoop los, groette heel beleefd--want beleefd ben ik altyd --en ging de Kapelsteeg in, wat ik anders nooit doe, omdat het niet fatsoenlyk is, en fatsoen gaat my boven alles.  
But when one has frequented the exchange for some twenty years ... and someone wants to ask you something, without even knowing what time it is ... I undid my button, took my leave very politely—for polite I always am—and turned into the Kapelsteeg, which I otherwise never do, because it is not respectable, and respectability is above everything else to me.
> Modal wil + zonder te: wil sends vragen to the end (bare infinitive); zonder te weten ('without knowing') is a te-infinitive frame. The indirect question hoe laat het is is verb-final.
> Separable losmaken: losmaken ('to undo') is separable: in the simple past the prefix los splits off to the end. groette (greeted) and ging (went) continue the chain of past actions.

Ik hoop dat niemand het gezien heeft. DERDE HOOFDSTUK  
I hope no one saw it. THIRD CHAPTER
> niemand + perfect verb-final: dat sends the perfect gezien heeft to the end; niemand ('no one') supplies the single negation. A wry closing line of self-conscious shame.

Toen ik een dag daarna van de beurs kwam, zei Frits dat er iemand geweest was om my te spreken.  
When I came back from the exchange a day later, Frits said that someone had been there to speak with me.
> er + om … te purpose: er is the dummy subject for existential 'someone had been [there]'; geweest was is the pluperfect of zijn, and om … te spreken states the purpose.

Naar de beschryving was het de Sjaalman. Hoe hy me gevonden had ... nu ja, 't adreskaartje!  
By the description it was the Shawlman. How he had found me ... well, the business card, of course!
> Indirect question, verb-final: The indirect question opening with Hoe sends the pluperfect gevonden had to the end. The trailing fragment nu ja, 't adreskaartje! mimics speech.

Ik dacht er over, myn kinderen van school te nemen, want het is lastig, nog twintig, dertig jaren later te worden nagezeten door een schoolkameraad die een sjaal draagt in plaats van een jas, en die niet weet hoe laat het is. Ook heb ik Frits verboden naar de Westermarkt te gaan, als er kramen staan.  
I thought of taking my children out of school, for it is a vexing thing to be pursued twenty, thirty years later by a schoolfellow who wears a shawl in place of a coat, and who does not know what time it is. I have also forbidden Frits to go to the Westermarkt when the stalls are up.
> Passive te-infinitive: te worden nagezeten: te worden nagezeten is a passive te-infinitive (worden + participle of separable nazitten, 'to be chased after'), with door marking the agent. lastig governs the te-infinitive.
> Fronting Ook → V2: Fronting Ook forces inversion (heb ik); verbieden governs the te-infinitive te gaan. als er kramen staan is a verb-final als-clause.

Den volgenden dag ontving ik een brief met een groot pak. Ik zal u den brief laten lezen:  
The next day I received a letter with a large parcel. I will let you read the letter:
> Future zal + causative laten: zal forms the future; laten is the causative auxiliary, taking the bare infinitive lezen — 'I shall let you read the letter.' den brief shows the old accusative den.

Waarde Droogstoppel! Ik vind dat hy wel had kunnen zeggen: Weledele Heer Droogstoppel, omdat ik makelaar ben.  
Worthy Droogstoppel! I think he might well have said: Most honorable Mr. Droogstoppel, seeing that I am a broker.
> Modal in the pluperfect (double infinitive): had kunnen zeggen is the pluperfect of the modal kunnen with a 'double infinitive' (kunnen + zeggen) instead of a participle — 'he could/might well have said.'
> Honorific: Weledele Heer: Weledele Heer ('Most honorable Sir') is a formal address Droogstoppel feels his rank as a broker (makelaar) deserves, over the plainer Waarde ('Worthy').

Ik ben gisteren ten-uwent geweest met het doel u een verzoek te doen.  
I was at your house yesterday with the aim of making a request of you.
> Frozen genitive: ten uwent: ten uwent ('at your house') preserves an old genitive/dative construction (te + the genitive of uw). Such fossils belong to formal 1860 prose.
> Noun + te-infinitive purpose: het doel ('the aim') governs the te-infinitive te doen ('to make [a request]'). een verzoek doen = 'to make a request.'

Ik geloof dat gy in goede omstandigheden verkeert ... Dit is waar: we zyn met ons dertienen op 't kantoor.  
I believe you are in good circumstances ... This is true: there are thirteen of us at the office.
> Archaic gij + verb-final: gy (gij) is the solemn 'you,' its verb taking -t (verkeert). The dat-clause is verb-final. in goede omstandigheden verkeren = 'to be in good circumstances.'

...en ik wenschte gebruik te maken van uw krediet, om een zaak tot-stand te brengen, die voor my van groot gewicht is. Zou men niet denken dat het om een order op de voorjaarsveiling te doen was?  
...and I should like to make use of your credit, to bring about a matter that is of great importance to me. Would one not suppose it was a question of an order for the spring auction?
> wensen te + om … te: wenschte governs gebruik te maken ('to make use'); a second frame om … tot-stand te brengen ('in order to bring about') states the purpose. Two te-infinitives nest.
> Relative die for a de-word: die refers to the de-word zaak ('matter'); the clause ends in is. van groot gewicht = 'of great weight/importance.'

Door velerlei omstandigheden ben ik op 't oogenblik eenigszins om geld verlegen. Eenigszins?  
Through manifold circumstances I am at the moment somewhat embarrassed for money. Somewhat?
> Idiom: 'om geld verlegen zijn': om iets verlegen zijn means 'to be at a loss for / short of something'; om geld verlegen = 'hard up for money.' Droogstoppel mockingly echoes eenigszins ('somewhat').

Hy had geen hemd aan. Dat noemt hy eenigszins!  
He had no shirt on his back. That he calls somewhat!
> geen + separable aanhebben: geen negates the indefinite noun hemd ('shirt'). aanhebben ('to have on / wear') is separable, so aan goes to the end: 'he had no shirt on.'

Ik kan myn lieve vrouw niet alles geven wat tot veraangenaming des levens noodig is, en ook de opvoeding myner kinderen is, uit een geldelyk oog, niet zooals ik wenschen zou. Veraangenaming des levens?  
I cannot give my dear wife all that is needful to make life pleasant, and the education of my children is, from a financial point of view, not such as I should wish. The making of life pleasant?
> Genitive remnant: des levens: des levens is the old masculine/neuter genitive ('of life'): 'the making of life pleasant.' des is a classic frozen case form of the 1860 page.
> Genitive: myner kinderen: myner is the inflected genitive of mijn ('of my children'). uit een geldelyk oog ('from a financial point of view') is a period idiom.

Opvoeding van de kinderen? Meent ge dat hy voor zyn vrouw een loge in de Opera huren wilde, en zyn kinderen op een instituut doen te Genève? 't Was najaar, en vry koud ... welnu, hy woonde op een vliering, zonder vuur.  
The education of his children? Do you suppose he wished to rent a box at the Opera for his wife and send his children to a school in Geneva? It was autumn, and rather cold ... and yet there he lodged in a garret, with no fire.
> Modal wilde + bare infinitives: wilde governs two bare infinitives (huren, doen) sent to the end. ge is the literary 'you,' and Meent ge … inverts for verb-second.
> vliering: A vliering is an attic or garret under the roof. zonder vuur ('without fire') means without a heated stove — the detail quietly exposes Sjaalman's real poverty against Droogstoppel's sneers.

Toen ik dien brief ontving, wist ik dit niet, maar later ben ik by hem geweest, en thans nog ben ik verstoord over den zotten toon van zyn geschryf.  
When I received that letter I did not know this, but afterward I went to see him, and to this day I am still vexed at the foolish tone of his scribbling.
> Perfect of zijn (motion/visit): ergens geweest zijn = 'to have been somewhere'; ben … geweest is the perfect of zijn. Inversion after later keeps the verb second.
> Archaic thans + case remnant den: thans ('now, at present') is a literary adverb. den zotten toon shows the old masculine accusative on both article (den) and adjective (zotten).

Wat drommel, wie arm is, kan zeggen dat hy arm is! Armen moeten er zyn, dit is noodig in de maatschappy, en 't is Gods wil.  
What the deuce—whoever is poor can say that he is poor! There must be poor people; it is necessary in society, and it is God's will.
> Free relative wie: wie ('whoever') opens a free relative with no antecedent; arm is is its (verb-final) predicate. The modal kan then governs zeggen.
> er + modal of existence: er moeten … zijn = 'there must be …'; the modal moeten governs zyn, with er supplying the existential subject. Droogstoppel dresses his class prejudice as natural law.

Als hy maar geen aalmoes vraagt, en niemand lastig valt, heb ik er volstrekt niet tegen dat hy arm is, maar die opsiering van de zaak komt niet te-pas. Luister verder:  
As long as he asks for no alms and is no trouble to anyone, I have absolutely nothing against his being poor, but all that dressing-up of the matter is out of place. Listen on:
> als-clause + geen/niemand: als ('as long as') sends vraagt and valt to the end. geen negates the indefinite aalmoes ('alms'); niemand carries its own negation. Only one negative per clause.
> Split pronominal adverb er … tegen: er … tegen is a split pronominal adverb (= ertegen, 'against it'); ergens tegen zijn = 'to object to something.' Inversion keeps heb second.

Daar op my de verplichting rust, in de behoeften der mynen te voorzien, heb ik besloten een talent aantewenden, dat, naar ik geloof, my gegeven is. Ik ben dichter ...  
Since the obligation rests on me to provide for the needs of my own, I have resolved to employ a talent which, I believe, has been given to me. I am a poet ...
> daar 'since' + te-infinitive: Daar ('since') opens the causal clause, sending rust to the end. in … voorzien ('to provide for') governs the te-infinitive te voorzien. de behoeften der mynen = 'the needs of my own.'
> zijn-passive: gegeven is: gegeven is is a zijn-passive of state ('has been given'); dat is the relative for the neuter het-word talent. aantewenden is joined 1860 spelling for aan te wenden.

Poeh! Ge weet, lezer, hoe ik en alle verstandige menschen daarover denken.  
Bah! You know, reader, what I and all sensible people think of that.
> Pronominal adverb daarover: daarover (= 'about that') fuses daar + over into one pronominal adverb. The indirect question with hoe sends denken to the end.

... en schryver. Sedert myn kindsheid drukte ik myn aandoeningen in verzen uit, en ook later schreef ik dagelyks neder wat er omging in myn ziel.  
... and a writer. From my childhood I have expressed my feelings in verse, and later too I wrote down day by day whatever passed in my soul.
> Separable uitdrukken + inversion: Fronting Sedert myn kindsheid forces inversion (drukte ik); the separable prefix uit of uitdrukken ('to express') lands at the end. Sedert ('since') is a literary preposition.
> Separable nederschrijven + relative wat: neder is the archaic form of neer; nederschrijven ('to write down') is separable. wat ('whatever') is the free relative object, and er omging is the impersonal 'went on.'

Ik geloof dat er onder dat alles eenige opstellen zyn, die waarde hebben, en ik zoek daarvoor een uitgever. Maar dit is juist het moeielyke.  
I believe that among all of it there are some pieces that have worth, and I am looking for a publisher for them. But this is just the difficulty.
> er + existential, relative die: er … zyn is the existential 'there are' inside the dat-clause; die hebben is a relative clause on opstellen, verb-final. ik zoek daarvoor een uitgever uses pronominal daarvoor.

Het publiek kent my niet, en de uitgevers beoordeelen de werken meer naar den gevestigden naam van den schryver, dan naar den inhoud. Juist zooals wy de koffi naar de renommee van de merken.  
The public does not know me, and the publishers judge the works more by the established name of the author than by the contents. Just as we judge coffee by the renown of the marks.
> Comparative meer … dan + case remnants: meer … dan ('more … than') is the comparative. den gevestigden naam and den inhoud both show the old masculine accusative den (and adjective -en).
> renommee / merken: renommee (French-derived, 'renown/reputation') and merken ('brands, marks') extend the letter's metaphor — judging poets like coffee — which delights the coffee-broker narrator.

Wel zeker! Hoe anders?  
Why, of course! How else?
> Elliptical interjection: Wel zeker ('Why, of course') and Hoe anders? ('How else?') are clipped exclamations — Droogstoppel breaking into the quoted letter. No finite verb is needed.

Als ik dus mag aannemen dat myn werk niet geheel zonder verdienste is, zou dat toch eerst na de uitgave blyken, en de boekhandelaars vragen de betaling van drukloon, enz. vooruit ... Daar hebben ze groot gelyk in.  
So if I may assume that my work is not wholly without merit, that would still only become apparent after publication, and the booksellers demand payment of the printing costs, etc., in advance ... There they are quite right.
> Modal mag in als-clause + conditional zou: als sends the modal mag (with aannemen) to the end; the main clause uses conditional zou … blyken ('that would only become apparent'). eerst here = 'only then.'

... wat my op die oogenblik niet gelegen komt. Daar ik evenwel overtuigd ben dat myn arbeid de kosten dekken zou, en gerust daarop myn woord durf verpanden, ben ik, aangemoedigd door onze ontmoeting van voorgisteren....  
... which at this moment does not suit me. Since, however, I am convinced that my labor would cover the costs, and confidently dare to pledge my word upon it, I have, encouraged by our meeting of the day before yesterday....
> daar 'since' + conditional zou verb-final: Daar ('since') opens the causal clause; inside the embedded dat-clause the conditional dekken zou stands at the end. myn woord durf verpanden = 'dare to pledge my word.'
> Past participle as adjective + agent door: aangemoedigd ('encouraged') is a past participle used adjectivally; door marks the agent, as in a passive. voorgisteren = 'the day before yesterday.'

Dat noemt hy aanmoedigen!  
That he calls encouraging!
> Fronted object + V2: The object Dat is fronted for emphasis, so the verb noemt stands second before the subject hy: 'That he calls encouraging!' aanmoedigen is the bare infinitive complement.

... tot het besluit gekomen u te vragen of ge voor my by een boekhandelaar zoudt willen borg-staan voor de kosten eener eerste uitgave, al ware het slechts van een klein boekdeeltje. Ik laat de keus van die eerste proeve geheel aan u over.  
... come to the decision of asking you whether you would be willing to stand surety for me with a bookseller for the costs of a first edition, were it only of a small little volume. I leave the choice of that first sample entirely to you.
> Conditional zou + genitive eener: zoudt willen is a polite conditional softener ('whether you would be willing'). de kosten eener eerste uitgave uses the old feminine genitive article eener ('of a').
> Subjunctive ware + diminutive: ware is the old subjunctive of zijn ('were it'), with concessive al ('even if'). boekdeeltje is a diminutive ('little volume'), hence neuter, intensified by klein.

In het pak dat hiernevens gaat, zult ge vele handschriften vinden, en daaruit zien dat ik veel gedacht, gewerkt en bygewoond heb ... Ik heb nooit gehoord dat hy zaken deed.  
In the parcel that accompanies this, you will find many manuscripts, and from them see that I have thought, worked, and witnessed a great deal ... I have never heard that he did any business.
> Fronted PP → V2 + relative dat: The fronted prepositional phrase forces inversion (zult ge). dat refers to the neuter pak ('parcel'); hiernevens ('herewith enclosed') is an archaic adverb.
> Three participles, one auxiliary: A single perfect auxiliary heb governs three past participles (gedacht, gewerkt, bygewoond), all pushed verb-final by dat. A compact, formal coordination.

... en als de gaaf van wèl zeggen me niet geheel-en-al ontbreekt, is het gewis niet door gebrek aan indrukken, dat ik niet slagen zou. In afwachting van een vriendelyk antwoord, noem ik my uw ouden schoolmakker ...  
... and if the gift of speaking well is not wholly wanting in me, it is surely not for lack of impressions that I should fail to succeed. Awaiting a kind reply, I sign myself your old schoolmate ...
> als-clause + ontbreken: als sends the verb ontbreekt to the end. ontbreken ('to be lacking') takes a dative experiencer (me) — 'if the gift is not wholly lacking in me.'
> Cleft with conditional zou: A cleft (is het … dat …) frames the cause; inside the dat-clause the conditional slagen zou ends the clause. gewis ('surely') is a literary adverb.

En zyn naam stond er onder. Maar dien verzwyg ik, omdat ik er niet van houd, iemand in opspraak te brengen.  
And his name stood beneath it. But that I withhold, because I do not like to bring anyone into disrepute.
> Fronted object dien + omdat clause: dien (old accusative of die) is the fronted object, forcing inversion (verzwyg ik). omdat sends houd to the end; er … van is a split pronominal adverb governing the te-infinitive.
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Source text: public domain (Multatuli / Eduard Douwes Dekker, d. 1887; Dutch 1860, Project Gutenberg #11024). English translation: original, © 1732 Studios (2026); rendered freshly from the public-domain Dutch, not derived from any prior English translation. Sentence-aligned by 1732 Studios.