Breakdown of Naar aanleiding van de persconferentie vroegen we hoeveel patiënten er waren behandeld.
zijn
to be
hoeveel
how much / how many
vragen
to ask
er
there (existential)
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
behandelen
to treat / to discuss (cover a topic) / to handle
de patiënt
the patient
naar aanleiding van
following / in response to
de persconferentie
the press conference
Questions & Answers about Naar aanleiding van de persconferentie vroegen we hoeveel patiënten er waren behandeld.
Why use naar aanleiding van here instead of ten gevolge van?
Both indicate a consequence, but naar aanleiding van translates to 'following', 'in response to', or 'prompted by'. It is used for events or information that inspire a subsequent action (like a press conference prompting someone to ask a question). Ten gevolge van means strictly 'as a result of' and is used for direct factual cause-and-effect, often regarding negative outcomes like damage or delays.
Why is the word order vroegen we instead of we vroegen?
This is an example of inversion. In Dutch, the conjugated verb must be the second idea in a main clause (the V2 rule). Because this sentence starts with the long prepositional phrase Naar aanleiding van de persconferentie, the verb vroegen must come immediately after it, pushing the subject we to the other side.
What is the purpose of er in hoeveel patiënten er waren behandeld?
This is the existential er (similar to 'there' in English). In Dutch passive sentences where the subject is indefinite or unknown (like the unspecified amount in hoeveel patiënten), er is used to introduce the subject. It translates roughly to asking 'how many patients there had been treated'.
The translation says 'had been treated', but the Dutch just says waren behandeld. Where is the word for 'been'?
The Dutch passive voice is normally formed with worden (to be) plus a past participle. However, in the present perfect and past perfect tenses, the past participle of worden (which is geworden) is entirely dropped. So instead of saying waren behandeld geworden, Dutch simply says waren behandeld.
Why are the verbs waren behandeld at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase hoeveel patiënten er waren behandeld is an indirect question, which functions as a subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the standard word order rules change and all verbs are pushed to the very end of the clause.
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