Learn Dutch: Aangenomen dat het rendement hoog is, neemt de investeerder de risico's. - Assuming that the return is high, the investor takes the risks.

Aangenomen dat het rendement hoog is, neemt de investeerder de risico's.

Assuming that the return is high, the investor takes the risks.

Breakdown of Aangenomen dat het rendement hoog is, neemt de investeerder de risico's.

zijn

to be

nemen

to take (general, abstract, e.g., transport, medicine)

Questions & Answers about Aangenomen dat het rendement hoog is, neemt de investeerder de risico's.

How does aangenomen dat affect the word order in this sentence?

Aangenomen dat (assuming that) acts as a subordinating conjunction. It pushes the verb is to the end of its clause (het rendement hoog is). Because this entire subordinate clause occupies the first position of the overall sentence, the main clause that follows must start with its verb to satisfy the V2 (verb-second) rule. This causes the inversion neemt de investeerder instead of de investeerder neemt.

Could I use stel dat instead of aangenomen dat in this sentence?

Yes, but there is a subtle difference in tone. Stel dat translates closer to 'suppose that' or 'imagine if' and often introduces a more speculative scenario. Aangenomen dat sounds more formal and is typical for logical conditions or business scenarios like this one, where the assumption forms a practical baseline for a decision.

Why is the plural of risico written with an apostrophe in risico's?

In Dutch, nouns ending in a single open vowel (like -a, -i, -o, -u, or -y) get an apostrophe plus 's' in the plural. If you just attached the 's' directly to make risicos, Dutch spelling rules would dictate that the final 'o' is pronounced as a short vowel. The apostrophe ensures the 'o' retains its long sound.

Since this is a hypothetical assumption, why do we use the present tense is instead of the conditional zou zijn?