Breakdown of Zij zouden het dak voor ons hebben hersteld.
zij
they
hebben
to have
zullen
shall / will
ons
us (object)
voor
for (on behalf of)
het dak
the roof
herstellen
to repair / to restore (health, original state)
Questions & Answers about Zij zouden het dak voor ons hebben hersteld.
How do we build "would have repaired" in this sentence?
You use the past tense of zullen (which is zouden here for "they") + hebben (have) + the past participle hersteld (repaired). The conjugated verb zouden sits in the normal second position, while the other two verbs are pushed to the end of the sentence to form a verb cluster.
Can I change the order of hebben and hersteld at the end of the sentence?
Yes! When a past participle (hersteld) and an auxiliary verb (hebben) sit together at the end of a clause, their order is flexible in Dutch. Both hebben hersteld and hersteld hebben are completely natural and grammatically correct.
Why does the past participle hersteld end with a d and not a t?
This follows the 't kofschip rule. The stem of the verb herstellen (to repair) ends in l. Because l is not one of the voiceless consonants in 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p), we use a -d to form the past participle.
Could I use ze instead of zij at the start of this sentence?
Absolutely. Zij is just the stressed form of ze (they). You use Zij if you want to emphasize exactly who would have repaired the roof: "They would have done it (not the other company)." If there is no special emphasis needed, ze is actually more common in daily.
Can I substitute "have repaired" with "had repaired" in English translations of "zouden hebben + past participle" in Dutch?
Sometimes. While "would have repaired" is the direct equivalent of zouden hebben hersteld, you can use "had repaired" in the past perfect depending on context. However, to literally practice the Dutch conditional perfect as taught in this lesson, focus on the "would have" translation to distinguish it clearly.
Learn Zij zouden het dak voor ons hebben hersteld and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free