Breakdown of Volgens de docent onderzoeken we deze criteria al decennia.
de docent
the teacher
deze
this / these
al
already
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
onderzoeken
to investigate
volgens
according to
het decennium
the decade
het criterium
the criterion
Questions & Answers about Volgens de docent onderzoeken we deze criteria al decennia.
Why is the word criteria used here instead of a standard plural with -s or -en?
Criteria is the irregular plural of the Latin loanword criterium. In Dutch, many classical words ending in -um get an -a in the plural. While some words allow both an -s and -a ending (like museums and musea), criterium strictly becomes criteria.
Is decennia another irregular plural?
Yes, it is the plural of decennium (a decade). Just like criterium, it is a classical loanword where the -um ending changes to -a for the plural. You will almost always see decennia, though decenniums is technically allowed.
The English translation says "we have investigated", so why does the Dutch sentence use the present tense onderzoeken?
In Dutch, when an action started in the past and is still happening now, you use the present tense combined with a time indicator like al (already). Because the investigation is still ongoing, Dutch says they "already investigate" (onderzoeken ... al) for decades.
Why is the verb placed before the subject (onderzoeken we) in this sentence?
This is a great example of the V2 (verb second) rule. Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Volgens de docent (According to the teacher), that entire phrase takes the first position. The main verb onderzoeken must take the second position, pushing the subject we right after it.
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