Learn Dutch: Achteraf zou ik het probleem hebben voorkomen. - In hindsight, I would have prevented the problem.

To say you "would have" done something, Dutch uses zou or zouden + an infinitive like hebben (to have) or zijn (to be) + a past participle. Here, we see zou as the conjugated verb, and the cluster hebben voorkomen (have prevented) at the end of the sentence.

Why is it zou ik instead of ik zou?

The sentence starts with the adverb Achteraf (In hindsight). Because something other than the subject is in the first position, Dutch applies inversion, meaning the verb comes right before the subject. So ik zou becomes zou ik.

Why doesn't the past participle voorkomen get a ge- prefix here?

The verb voorkomen (to prevent) has the inseparable prefix voor-. Verbs that start with inseparable prefixes do not get an extra ge- in their past participle. Because of this, the infinitive and the past participle are both exactly the same: voorkomen.

Could I also say voorkomen hebben at the end of the sentence?

Yes! In a Dutch verb cluster at the end of a clause, placing the auxiliary verb (hebben) before the past participle (voorkomen) is slightly more common in spoken Dutch, but reversing them to voorkomen hebben is also perfectly correct.