Breakdown of De arts zei dat hij met de familie had overlegd over de reden.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
de arts
the doctor
hebben
to have
met
with
Questions & Answers about De arts zei dat hij met de familie had overlegd over de reden.
Why does the sentence use "had overlegd" (past perfect) instead of "heeft overlegd" (present perfect)?
Because this is reported speech and the main verb zei (said) is in the past tense. The doctor's original words were likely "Ik heb overlegd" (I have consulted). When reporting this in the past tense, Dutch shifts the present perfect to the past perfect (had overlegd), just like in English.
Why is there no "ge-" in the past participle "overlegd"?
The verb overleggen (to consult or discuss) is an inseparable verb. Verbs that start with an inseparable prefix like over-, be-, or ver- do not get the ge- added to their past participle.
Why are the verbs "had overlegd" near the end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, all verbs are pushed to the end of that clause.
If verbs go at the end of a subordinate clause, why is "over de reden" placed after "had overlegd"?
While verbs usually go at the very end of a dat clause, prepositional phrases (phrases starting with words like over or met) are a common exception. You can place them after the verbs to prevent the middle of the sentence from becoming too clunky. Putting it before the verbs (... dat hij met de familie over de reden had overlegd) would also be perfectly correct.