Breakdown of De stichting wil alle armoede in de stad oplossen.
in
in
de stad
the city
willen
to want
oplossen
to solve / to resolve
de stichting
the foundation
alle
all (general plurals)
de armoede
the poverty
Questions & Answers about De stichting wil alle armoede in de stad oplossen.
Why do we use alle armoede here rather than al de armoede?
This lesson teaches that you use al de or al het for specific, definite things (like "all the milk in the fridge"). However, armoede (poverty) is an uncountable, abstract concept. When referring to abstract concepts in a general sense—meaning "every instance of it"—Dutch treats them like general plurals. We drop the article and simply use alle.
Since de stichting is a singular subject (like "it"), shouldn't the verb be wilt?
No, wil is correct. The verb willen is a slightly irregular modal verb. While a regular verb would add a -t for a third-person singular subject (hij, zij, het, or a noun like de stichting), standard Dutch drops the -t for willen. So it is always hij/zij/het wil.
Why is oplossen placed at the very end of the sentence?
This is a standard Dutch word order rule. The sentence uses the conjugated modal verb wil (wants to) in the second position. This forces the main action verb, oplossen (to solve), to be pushed to the very end of the clause in its full infinitive form.
Can you use oplossen for abstract issues like poverty?
Yes! While oplossen literally means "to dissolve" (like sugar in tea), it is the standard Dutch verb for "to solve". You can use it to solve a math equation, fix a problem (een probleem oplossen), or eradicate a broad societal issue like poverty.
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