Breakdown of De directeur zei dat hij morgen nieuwe sponsors zou benaderen.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zeggen
to say
morgen
tomorrow
nieuw
new
Questions & Answers about De directeur zei dat hij morgen nieuwe sponsors zou benaderen.
Why do we use zou benaderen instead of zal benaderen here?
Because this is reported speech introduced by a past tense verb (zei). Just like in English, when reporting a future intention in the past (said that he would approach), the Dutch future auxiliary zullen (will) shifts to its past tense form zou (would).
Why are both zou and benaderen placed at the very end of the sentence?
The conjunction dat introduces a subordinate clause, which forces all verbs to the end of that clause. As a result, the auxiliary verb (zou) and the main infinitive (benaderen) cluster together after all the other information.
Could we swap the order of the verbs at the end to benaderen zou?
Yes, both verb orders are grammatically correct at the end of a subordinate clause. However, placing the auxiliary verb before the infinitive (zou benaderen) is the most common and natural-sounding choice for most Dutch speakers.
Why does the adjective nieuwe get an -e ending in this sentence?
Because it describes a plural noun (sponsors). In Dutch, adjectives placed before plural nouns always get an -e ending, regardless of whether the singular noun is a de-word or a het-word, and regardless of the articles used.