Breakdown of Wij hebben veel geïnvesteerd. Het resultaat is echter slecht.
zijn
to be
wij
we
hebben
to have
veel
much / many / a lot of
slecht
bad
het resultaat
the result
echter
however
investeren
to invest
Questions & Answers about Wij hebben veel geïnvesteerd. Het resultaat is echter slecht.
Why is echter placed after the verb instead of at the beginning of the sentence?
In English, we often start a sentence with "However, ...". In Dutch, echter usually comes after the conjugated verb (here, is). You can sometimes put echter at the very beginning, but it forces an inversion (Echter is het resultaat...) and sounds quite formal or old-fashioned in modern Dutch.
Could I use integendeel instead of echter in this sentence?
No, integendeel means "on the contrary" and is used to completely reject a previous statement, usually a negative one (for example, "The result isn't good. On the contrary, it's terrible!"). Here, you aren't rejecting the fact that you invested a lot; you are just introducing a contrasting disappointment. For a simple "however", echter is the right choice.
What about daarentegen? Would that work instead of echter?
Daarentegen translates to "on the other hand". It is best suited for comparing two contrasting subjects or situations, like "We invested a lot. Our competitors, daarentegen, invested nothing." Because this sentence just describes the disappointing outcome of your own action, echter sounds much more natural.
Why does geïnvesteerd have two dots on the letter 'i'?
Those dots form a trema. Because the past participle prefix ge- ends in e and the root word begins with i, the trema is added to prevent you from reading ei as a single combined vowel sound (like in the word klein). It reminds you to pronounce the syllables separately: ge-in-ves-teerd.
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