Framing with Cognitive Verbs
When discussing sensitive topics like internal investigations or whistleblowing, you often need to frame statements based on what you have heard or assume to be true. You can do this by starting your sentence with the conjunction naar (as / according to what) followed by a subject and a cognitive verb.
Common combinations include naar ik weet (as far as I know), naar wij aannemen (as we assume), and naar wij vernemen (as we understand / hear).
| As we understand it, there is an internal investigation. | Naar wij vernemen, is er een intern onderzoek. |
| As far as I know, the information is confidential. | Naar ik weet, is de informatie vertrouwelijk. |
Notice the word order: because the naar clause occupies the first position in the sentence, the main clause immediately starts with its verb (inversion).
| As we assume, she wants to remain anonymous. | Naar wij aannemen, wil zij anoniem blijven. |
| As people say, the media have discovered the scandal. | Naar men zegt, hebben de media het schandaal ontdekt. |
Using Naar verluidt (Reportedly)
For widespread but unconfirmed rumors, use the fixed expression naar verluidt (reportedly). This phrase is built from naar and the formal verb verluiden (to be reported).
| Reportedly, the director is corrupt. | Naar verluidt is de directeur corrupt. |
Like a full naar clause, naar verluidt acts as the first element in the sentence, triggering inversion.
| Reportedly, she has approached the media anonymously. | Naar verluidt heeft zij de media anoniem benaderd. |
| Reportedly, he is said to leak confidential information. | Naar verluidt zou hij vertrouwelijke informatie lekken. |
Highlighting the Issue with Wat
To place strong emphasis on the leaked information or the core of a scandal, you can introduce the topic with a wat (what) clause. In these sentences, the entire wat clause acts as the subject for the main sentence.
| What the whistleblower has reported is internal misconduct. | Wat de klokkenluider heeft gemeld, is een interne misstand. |
| What he leaks to the media is highly confidential. | Wat hij naar de media lekt, is zeer vertrouwelijk. |
