Breakdown of Ik heb inmiddels gehoord dat ze de bijeenkomst zouden verzetten.
ik
I
hebben
to have
horen
to hear
zullen
shall / will
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
dat
that (conjunction)
de bijeenkomst
the gathering
verzetten
to reschedule
inmiddels
meanwhile
Questions & Answers about Ik heb inmiddels gehoord dat ze de bijeenkomst zouden verzetten.
Why do we use zouden here when the English translation says 'were going to'?
The verbs zou and zouden are the past tense of zullen (will). We use them to express the 'future in the past'—a plan or intention that was made in the past. In English, this often translates to 'would' or 'were going to', just like their past intention to reschedule the meeting here.
Why are both verbs (zouden verzetten) pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, a subordinate clause forces all verbs to the end of that clause. That is why both the helping verb (zouden) and the main action (verzetten) are placed after de bijeenkomst (the meeting).
Is it grammatically correct to say ... dat ze de bijeenkomst verzetten zouden instead?
Yes! When you have two verbs at the end of a subordinate clause, you can usually put them in either order. Both zouden verzetten and verzetten zouden are perfectly correct, although putting the helping verb first (zouden verzetten) is more common in spoken Dutch.
What does inmiddels mean and why is it placed where it is?
inmiddels means 'meanwhile' or 'since then'. In a main clause, time adverbs like this typically come right after the first conjugated verb (heb). Because this part of the sentence uses the present perfect tense, the adverb gets sandwiched between the helping verb (heb) and the past participle (gehoord).
Learn Ik heb inmiddels gehoord dat ze de bijeenkomst zouden verzetten and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free