Expressing Ratios: "Op de" and "Van de"
To express a ratio like "one in four" or "three in ten", use op de followed by a plural noun.
| One in four adults struggles with insomnia. | Eén op de vier volwassenen kampt met slapeloosheid. |
Alternatively, to express "out of" (like "two out of five"), use van de. The two structures are interchangeable and frequently used in formal reporting and everyday statistics.
| According to the statistics, two out of five people struggle with stress. | Volgens de statistieken kampen twee van de vijf mensen met stress. |
Subject-Verb Agreement with Statistics
When a proportion acts as the subject of a sentence, the verb agrees with the first number in the ratio.
If the proportion begins with a number greater than one (like twee, drie, or acht), use a plural verb.
| Three in ten employees report a severe sleep deprivation. | Drie op de tien medewerkers rapporteren een ernstig slaaptekort. |
| The statistics show that eight out of ten adults experience fatigue. | Uit de statistieken blijkt dat acht op de tien volwassenen vermoeidheid ervaren. |
If the proportion begins with één (one), the verb must be singular, even though the phrase as a whole refers to a larger plural group.
| It is determined that one in ten people uses sleeping pills. | Er wordt vastgesteld dat één op de tien mensen slaappillen gebruikt. |
Notice how ervaren is plural to match acht, while gebruikt is singular to match één.
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