Formal Prepositions of Reference
In professional contexts like press releases or corporate announcements, Dutch often uses formal, complex prepositions. These are fixed, multi-word phrases that function like a single preposition.
Three of the most common are:
- met betrekking tot: with regard to, concerning
- in verband met: in connection with, due to
- ten aanzien van: with respect to, regarding
| The spokesperson declared nothing with regard to the investigation. | De woordvoerder verklaarde niets met betrekking tot het onderzoek. |
| The factory is temporarily closed in connection with the fire. | De fabriek is tijdelijk gesloten in verband met de brand. |
| We are positive with respect to the new policy. | Wij zijn positief ten aanzien van het nieuwe beleid. |
Corporate Context
These formal structures are frequently used to link business entities—like a shareholder or a branch—to major events, such as reorganizations and mergers.
| The shareholder still has questions with regard to the merger. | De aandeelhouder heeft nog vragen met betrekking tot de fusie. |
| We are closing the branch in connection with the reorganization. | Wij sluiten het filiaal in verband met de reorganisatie. |
Sentence Placement and Inversion
Like simple prepositions, these complex phrases can be placed at the very beginning of a sentence to highlight the topic. This is highly common in financial reporting.
If you start the sentence with one of these phrases, remember to apply word order inversion (swapping the subject and the verb).
| With regard to the first quarter, the revenue has dropped. | Met betrekking tot het eerste kwartaal is de omzet gedaald. |
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