Breakdown of Achteraf zouden we zelfs dat alternatief hebben overwogen.
hebben
to have
dat
that (het-words)
zullen
shall / will
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Achteraf zouden we zelfs dat alternatief hebben overwogen.
How is the past conditional 'would have considered' constructed here?
You create this 'unreal past' by combining the past tense of zullen, which is zouden (would), with the perfect infinitive at the end of the sentence: hebben overwogen (have considered).
Why is the word order zouden we instead of we zouden?
Because the sentence starts with the adverb Achteraf (in hindsight). Dutch uses the V2 rule in main clauses, meaning the conjugated verb (zouden) must remain in the second grammatical position. Therefore, the subject (we) swaps places with the verb to come right after it.
Does it matter if I write hebben overwogen or overwogen hebben at the end of the sentence?
No, both are perfectly correct! In a verb cluster at the end of a sentence, the auxiliary verb (hebben) and the past participle (overwogen) can usually go in either order. Choosing between them is purely a matter of style or regional preference.
Why is there no ge- prefix added to the past participle overwogen?
The infinitive is overwegen (to consider). The prefix over- in this specific verb is inseparable, meaning the stress falls on the second part of the word (-wegen). Verbs with inseparable prefixes never take the ge- prefix when forming the past participle.