Breakdown of De jury selecteert degene die de winnaar is.
zijn
to be
die
who / that (relative pronoun)
de jury
the jury
selecteren
to select
Questions & Answers about De jury selecteert degene die de winnaar is.
Why do we use degene die here instead of datgene wat?
In Dutch, degene means "the one" and is used exclusively for people. Since a winner is a person, we use degene die ("the one who"). The phrase datgene wat means "that which" or "the thing that", and is only used for non-living things or abstract concepts.
Does degene always have to be paired with die in this kind of sentence?
Yes, when it acts as "the one who", degene is usually followed by the relative pronoun die. Think of degene as a placeholder for a specific person in the main sentence, and die as the bridge that introduces the description of that person.
How would this sentence change if the jury selected multiple winners?
If the jury is selecting "the ones who" are the winners, you add an -n to make it plural: degenen. The relative pronoun die stays exactly the same. The sentence would become: De jury selecteert degenen die de winnaars zijn.
Why is the verb is pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The part of the sentence starting with die (die de winnaar is) is a relative clause, which acts as a subclause giving more information about degene. In Dutch subclauses, the conjugated verb must be sent to the end of the clause.