Breakdown of Er moet een theorie zijn die dit patroon uitlegt.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
dit
this (neuter)
moeten
to have to, must
uitleggen
to explain
er
there (existential)
die
who / that (relative pronoun)
de theorie
the theory
het patroon
the pattern
Questions & Answers about Er moet een theorie zijn die dit patroon uitlegt.
Does moet mean that a theory is forced to exist here?
No, here moet is used for logical deduction. Just like in English, it means you are making a strong assumption based on evidence. You are concluding that it is highly logical for a theory to exist, rather than expressing a strict obligation.
Why do we start the sentence with Er?
Why is the word die used here for 'that' instead of dat?
The word die refers back to een theorie. Because theorie is a de word (de theorie), we must use die. If we were referring back to a het word, we would use dat instead.
Why is it dit patroon and not deze patroon?
Because patroon is a het word (het patroon). When pointing something out, you use dit for singular het words, and deze for singular de words as well as all plural words.
Why are the two parts of the separable verb uitleggen joined together as uitlegt at the end?
The phrase starting with die is a relative clause, which forces the conjugated verb to the very end. When a separable verb like uitleggen (uit + leggen) gets pushed to the end of a clause like this, its separated parts crash back together into a single written word.
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