Breakdown of Het is een oude dynastie, wier geschiedenis niet valt te ontkennen.
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Questions & Answers about Het is een oude dynastie, wier geschiedenis niet valt te ontkennen.
Why is wier used here instead of wiens?
Wier is the formal word for 'whose' when referring back to a feminine or plural noun. Because dynastie (dynasty) is a feminine noun, we use wier. If the noun were masculine or neuter, we would use wiens.
How do I know that dynastie is feminine?
Many Dutch nouns have suffixes that give away their gender. Nouns ending in -ie (like dynastie, politie, familie) are almost always feminine. This tells you to use wier rather than wiens in formal writing.
How does valt te ontkennen translate to 'cannot be denied'?
The structure vallen te plus an infinitive is a common Dutch expression meaning that something 'can be' done or 'is possible' to do. So niet valt te ontkennen literally means 'does not fall to deny', which translates naturally as 'cannot be denied' or 'is impossible to deny'.
Would Dutch speakers use wier in normal everyday conversation?
Generally, no. Wier is very formal and mostly restricted to literature and official writing. In everyday speech, Dutch people usually rephrase this using waarvan (of which). For example, they might say '... waarvan de geschiedenis niet valt te ontkennen'.