Breakdown of Volgens de baas moest het loon aan de arbeiders worden uitbetaald.
de baas
the boss
moeten
to have to, must
worden
to become
aan
to (recipient)
volgens
according to
het loon
the wage
de arbeider
the worker
uitbetalen
to pay out
Questions & Answers about Volgens de baas moest het loon aan de arbeiders worden uitbetaald.
How does the word order work for the past passive with a modal verb in this sentence?
The modal verb moest (had to) is the conjugated verb and sits in the second position. The passive part is pushed to the end of the sentence as a verb block: the infinitive worden (to be) followed by the past participle uitbetaald (paid out).
Why is the singular verb moest used when the English translation says "wages"?
In Dutch, het loon is a singular noun meaning the wage or salary, so it takes the singular verb moest. English often uses the plural "wages" for the exact same concept.
Why does the verb moest come before the subject het loon?
Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Volgens de baas (According to the boss). When a main clause starts with anything other than the subject, Dutch applies inversion and swaps the subject and the conjugated verb.
Why is the past participle uitbetaald instead of uitgebetaald?
Uitbetalen is a separable verb (uit + betalen). Normally, separable verbs get a -ge- in the middle for the past participle. However, verbs starting with unstressed prefixes like be-, ge-, ver-, or ont- never get an extra ge-. Because betalen starts with be-, the past participle is simply uitbetaald.
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