Breakdown of Behoudens zwaarwegende uitzonderingen handhaven wij de regel, ongeacht de consequentie.
wij
we
de regel
the rule
de uitzondering
the exception
behoudens
subject to / except for
zwaarwegend
compelling / weighty (arguments, reasons)
ongeacht
regardless of
handhaven
to enforce / to maintain (rules, order)
de consequentie
the consequence
Questions & Answers about Behoudens zwaarwegende uitzonderingen handhaven wij de regel, ongeacht de consequentie.
Is behoudens something I should use in everyday conversations?
Not really. Behoudens translates to "except for", "barring", or "subject to", but it is highly formal. You will mostly encounter it in legal texts, official policies, or formal writing. In daily speech, you would just use behalve.
Why does the sentence use handhaven wij instead of wij handhaven?
This is a classic application of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The sentence starts with the long prepositional phrase Behoudens zwaarwegende uitzonderingen. Since that entire phrase occupies the first grammatical position, the main verb (handhaven) must come second, causing inversion with the subject (wij).
How does ongeacht differ from a word like ondanks here?
While both deal with contrasting situations, they have slightly different meanings. Ondanks means "despite" and usually refers to a specific, existing obstacle that did not stop the action. Ongeacht means "regardless of" or "irrespective of". Here, ongeacht de consequentie means the rule will be enforced no matter what the consequences might turn out to be.
How is the word zwaarwegende formed and why does it end in an -e?
It is a compound participle used as an adjective, literally meaning "heavy-weighing." It combines zwaar (heavy) and wegend (the present participle of wegen, to weigh). It gets the -e ending because it modifies uitzonderingen, which is a plural noun.
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