Breakdown of Aangezien de e-mail uw project betreft, moet u deze ondertekenen.
u
you (formal)
het project
the project
uw
your (formal)
deze
this / these
moeten
to have to, must
de e-mail
the email
aangezien
since / as (because)
betreffen
to concern / to regard
ondertekenen
to sign
Questions & Answers about Aangezien de e-mail uw project betreft, moet u deze ondertekenen.
Why is the verb betreft at the very end of the first clause?
The word aangezien (since/as) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause, which forces the conjugated verb (betreft) to move to the very end of that clause.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with the verb (moet u) instead of the subject (u moet)?
In Dutch, the conjugated verb must be the second idea in a main sentence. The entire first clause (Aangezien de e-mail uw project betreft) acts as the first block of information. Therefore, the main clause must start immediately with the verb (moet) to keep it in the second position, which pushes the subject (u) right after it.
Why is deze used to mean "it" here instead of hem or het?
Because e-mail is a de-word, you cannot use het. You could definitely use hem, but in formal written Dutch, it is very common to use demonstrative pronouns like deze (this one) or die (that one) to refer back to things. It sounds a bit more professional.
Is ondertekenen (to sign) a separable verb?
No, ondertekenen is an inseparable verb. Even though it starts with a preposition (onder), the pronunciation stress is on the second part of the word. Because it is inseparable, it stays together as one complete word at the end of the sentence and does not split into tekenen onder.
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