Breakdown of Niemand zou een zwak dier moeten slaan.
een
a/an
het dier
the animal
moeten
to have to, must
zullen
shall / will
Questions & Answers about Niemand zou een zwak dier moeten slaan.
Why is it zou instead of zouden?
Niemand (nobody) is a singular pronoun in Dutch, just like in English. Therefore, we use the singular form zou instead of the plural zouden.
Why are moeten and slaan stacked together at the very end of the sentence?
In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb (zou) takes the second position, while all other infinitives are pushed to the end. When using zouden moeten to express 'should', the extra infinitives (moeten and the main verb slaan) gather at the end of the sentence.
Why is it zwak dier without an -e on the adjective?
Dier is a het-word. A common rule to remember is that when a singular het-word is preceded by een (an indefinite article), the adjective before it drops the -e ending.
Could I just say Niemand moet een zwak dier slaan to mean the same thing?
Not exactly. Zou moeten translates best to 'should' or 'ought to', which expresses a moral obligation or strong advice. Just using moet means 'must' or 'has to', making it sound more like a strict rule or physical requirement rather than a moral 'should'.