Breakdown of Liet ze het algoritme de gegevens verwerken?
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
laten
to let (laten we ... = let's ...)
verwerken
to process
de gegevens
the data
Questions & Answers about Liet ze het algoritme de gegevens verwerken?
Why is liet used here instead of deed?
The verb laten is used because she is delegating a task or allowing the algorithm to run. If we used doen, it would imply an involuntary physical or emotional reaction (like making someone cry or jump), which does not make sense for a computer processing information.
Why is there no te before verwerken?
Causative verbs like laten and doen always trigger a bare infinitive. This means the second verb (verwerken) goes to the very end of the sentence without adding te.
Both het algoritme and de gegevens are grouped together. How do we know which one is doing the processing?
Standard Dutch word order places the causee (the entity instructed to do the action, which is het algoritme) before the direct object of that action (de gegevens). Reversing them would literally mean she let the data process the algorithm!
Is gegevens plural, and how does it compare to the English word data?
Yes, gegevens is the plural of gegeven (a given fact or piece of information). While English speakers often treat data as a singular mass noun (the data is ready), Dutch treats gegevens as strictly plural.