Breakdown of Daarnaast schaffen veel klanten de software aan.
veel
much / many / a lot of
de klant
the customer
aanschaffen
to purchase
daarnaast
additionally
Questions & Answers about Daarnaast schaffen veel klanten de software aan.
Why is the verb schaffen placed before the subject veel klanten?
Because the sentence starts with the connector daarnaast (additionally). Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule, meaning the conjugated verb must be in the second position. Since daarnaast takes position one, the subject veel klanten is pushed to position three, causing inversion.
What is the word aan doing at the very end of the sentence?
It is the prefix of the separable verb aanschaffen (to purchase or acquire). In a standard Dutch main clause, the conjugated part of a separable verb (schaffen) takes the second position, while the prefix (aan) gets sent all the way to the end of the clause.
Does daarnaast literally mean 'there next to'?
Yes, exactly! It is a combination of daar (there) and naast (next to). While it can describe physical space, here it is used as a connector meaning 'additionally'—you are logically placing a new piece of information 'next to' the previous one.
Can I put daarnaast in the middle of the sentence instead?
Yes, you can start with the subject. If you do, the sentence becomes: Veel klanten schaffen daarnaast de software aan. Because the subject veel klanten is now in position one, the verb schaffen stays in position two, and no inversion is needed.