Breakdown of Ik zou dat erg waarderen.
ik
I
erg
very / really
dat
that (het-words)
zullen
shall / will
waarderen
to appreciate
Questions & Answers about Ik zou dat erg waarderen.
Why is waarderen at the very end of the sentence?
This is a standard Dutch rule for sentence structure. When you use a helper verb like zou (would), the main action verb (waarderen) is pushed to the very end of the sentence in its full dictionary form (the infinitive).
I thought erg meant "bad". Why does it mean "really" here?
You are right that erg can mean "bad" or "terrible" when used as a regular adjective. But when you use it to describe a feeling, adjective, or action, it means "very" or "really". So erg waarderen simply means "to really appreciate" or "to appreciate very much".
Could I use het instead of dat here?
Yes, you can! Ik zou het erg waarderen translates to "I would really appreciate it." Using dat (that) just puts a little more emphasis on the specific thing someone is doing for you compared to the neutral het.
How would this sentence change if I wanted to say "We would really appreciate that"?
Because we (we) is plural, the helper verb zou changes to its plural form: zouden. The rest of the sentence stays exactly the same, making it: We zouden dat erg waarderen.
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