Breakdown of De hoofdstukken moeten door de vertaler worden vertaald.
moeten
to have to, must
worden
to become
door
by (agent in a passive sentence)
vertalen
to translate
het hoofdstuk
the chapter
de vertaler
the translator
Questions & Answers about De hoofdstukken moeten door de vertaler worden vertaald.
How does door work in this sentence?
In passive sentences, the person or thing actually doing the action is introduced by door. While door often means "through" in everyday speech, in passive voice it is the standard word for "by".
Why do both worden and vertaald go at the end of the sentence?
The modal verb moeten (must) is the conjugated verb, so it takes the second position in the sentence. A rule in Dutch is that modal verbs push all other verbs to the very end. That is why the passive helper worden (to be) and the past participle vertaald (translated) sit together at the end.
Why do we need the verb worden here?
Because the sentence is passive and uses a modal verb. To say "must be translated" in Dutch, you use moeten (must) + worden (to be) + the past participle vertaald (translated). Without worden, the sentence would lack the "to be" part of the passive structure.
Why does hoofdstukken (chapters) have a double 'k'?
The singular word is hoofdstuk. When adding the plural suffix -en, you must double the final consonant to keep the short 'u' sound short. This is a very common Dutch spelling rule: without the extra 'k', the 'u' would incorrectly be pronounced as a long vowel.
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