Learn Dutch: Zonder een verwachting te hebben, word je niet teleurgesteld. - Without having an expectation, you will not be disappointed.

It is de verwachting. You can reliably tell because it ends in the suffix -ing. In Dutch, when you turn a verb (like verwachten, meaning to expect) into a noun by adding -ing, it is always a de word.

How does the grammatical structure of zonder... te hebben work here?

In English, you say 'without having' using an '-ing' verb. Dutch does not do this. Instead, it uses the structure zonder + [details] + te + [infinitive verb]. So 'without having an expectation' translates structurally to zonder een verwachting te hebben.

Why does the second half of the sentence begin with the verb word instead of the subject je?

This is due to the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire first phrase (Zonder een verwachting te hebben) acts as the first block of information in the sentence. Because the main verb must sit in the second position, word comes immediately after the comma, which pushes the subject (je) behind it.

Why is there no -t on word? Doesn't the 'you' form usually get one?