Breakdown of Wij hadden erop gerekend dat de tiener sliep.
wij
we
hebben
to have
slapen
to sleep
dat
that (conjunction)
de tiener
the teenager
er
it (in 'er ... op/mee', pronominal adverb)
rekenen op
to count on
Questions & Answers about Wij hadden erop gerekend dat de tiener sliep.
Why do we use erop here instead of just op?
The verb expression is rekenen op (to count on). When you count on an action described by a whole new clause starting with dat, you cannot just put op directly in front of dat. Instead, Dutch requires you to combine er + op into erop (literally 'on it') in the main clause. This acts as a placeholder pointing forward to the dat clause.
Why does the English translation say 'sleeping' when sliep means 'slept'?
English often uses an '-ing' verb after prepositions, like 'counted on the teenager sleeping'. Dutch does not use its verbs this way. Instead, Dutch spells out a full subordinate clause: dat de tiener sliep (literally 'that the teenager slept'). Because the main sentence is in the past tense (hadden gerekend), the verb in the dat clause must also be in the past tense (sliep).
Why is gerekend placed right before dat?
In the main clause Wij hadden erop gerekend, the conjugated helping verb hadden takes the second position. The past participle gerekend is sent to the very end of this main clause. The subordinate clause (dat de tiener sliep) is an extra piece of information that gets attached completely after the main clause is finished.
What tense is hadden ... gerekend?
This is the past perfect tense, which translates to 'had counted'. It is formed using the past tense of the helping verb hebben (which becomes hadden for 'we') and the past participle gerekend.
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