Breakdown of Wij zouden moeten bijdragen, want het is een morele plicht.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
wij
we
het
it
want
because
moeten
to have to, must
zullen
shall / will
de plicht
the duty
bijdragen
to contribute
moreel
moral
Questions & Answers about Wij zouden moeten bijdragen, want het is een morele plicht.
How does zouden moeten translate to "should" in this sentence?
Is bijdragen a separable verb, and if so, why isn't it separated here?
Yes, bijdragen (to contribute) is a separable verb (bij + dragen). However, because it is used with the modal verbs zouden moeten, it remains in its full, unseparated infinitive form and is pushed to the very end of the clause.
Why doesn't the word want change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
The word want (because) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it links two regular main clauses and keeps the standard word order. If you used the synonym omdat, the word order would change, pushing the verb to the end: omdat het een morele plicht is.
Why is there an extra -e on the end of morele (moral)?
Plicht is a de-word (de plicht). When you put an adjective before a de-word, it gets an -e ending. Also notice the spelling rule at play: the double e from the base word moreel becomes a single e in morele to keep the vowel sound long in an open syllable.
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