Breakdown of Ze zei dat hij de fout had toegelicht, maar kennelijk had hij niets aangetoond.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
maar
but
hebben
to have
zeggen
to say
de fout
the mistake
niets
nothing
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
dat
that (conjunction)
toelichten
to clarify
kennelijk
apparently
aantonen
to demonstrate (to prove)
Questions & Answers about Ze zei dat hij de fout had toegelicht, maar kennelijk had hij niets aangetoond.
Why do we use had toegelicht (past perfect) here instead of the present perfect?
This is reported speech introduced by the past tense Ze zei dat (She said that). Because the reporting verb is in the past, the original action shifts one step further back in time. If her original words were 'He has clarified' (present perfect), reporting it changes it to the past perfect (had toegelicht).
Why are the verbs had toegelicht placed at the very end of the first clause?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause. In a Dutch subordinate clause, all verbs are pushed to the end. So instead of normal main clause order, the verbs follow the subject and object: hij de fout had toegelicht.
Why is the word order had hij instead of 'hij had' in the second half of the sentence?
The word maar (but) is a coordinating conjunction, so it connects two main clauses without taking up a position itself. The first real position in the new clause is taken by the adverb kennelijk (apparently). Because the verb must always be in the second position in a main clause, had comes next, pushing the subject hij to the third position. This is called inversion.
How do the verbs toelichten and aantonen form their past participles in this sentence?
Both are separable verbs. Toelichten (to clarify) is made of toe + lichten, and aantonen (to demonstrate) is made of aan + tonen. When forming the past participle, the standard ge- prefix is placed between the separable prefix and the base verb, giving us toegelicht and aangetoond.
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