Breakdown of De patiënt was ten gevolge van een zware besmetting overleden.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
zwaar
heavy / severe (of a punishment) / tough, hard
de patiënt
the patient
ten gevolge van
as a result of
overlijden
to pass away / to die (formal)
de besmetting
the infection / the contamination
Questions & Answers about De patiënt was ten gevolge van een zware besmetting overleden.
How does ten gevolge van differ from using a simpler word like door?
Ten gevolge van (as a result of) is highly formal and mostly used in written Dutch, official reports, or news. In everyday spoken Dutch, you would normally just use door (because of) or als gevolg van.
What does the ten in ten gevolge mean?
Ten is a leftover from the old Dutch case system, combining the preposition te with the article den. You will see these old forms in fixed formal expressions like ten gevolge van (as a result of) and ten koste van (at the expense of). You don't need to learn the old grammar rules, just memorize the phrases as a whole.
Why is the sentence using was ... overleden instead of had ... overleden for "had passed away"?
Does besmetting only translate to "infection"?
It means "infection" in a medical context, but it also translates to "contamination" (such as a chemical spill or food contamination). It comes from the verb besmetten (to infect or contaminate).
Could I place overleden before the long prepositional phrase?
Yes! You can say De patiënt was overleden ten gevolge van een zware besmetting. Moving a long prepositional phrase outside the verbs to the very end of the sentence is perfectly correct and very common, though the example sentence's word order is also standard for formal writing.
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