Breakdown of De spion voorkomt dat de vijand de code vindt.
vinden
to find
dat
that (conjunction)
voorkomen
to prevent
de code
the code
Questions & Answers about De spion voorkomt dat de vijand de code vindt.
Why is voorkomt not split up into komt voor in this sentence?
In this sentence, the verb is the inseparable voorkómen, which means 'to prevent'. Because it is inseparable, the prefix voor- stays attached to the verb in the main clause. If the sentence used the separable verb vóórkomen (meaning 'to occur' or 'to seem'), it would split.
How should I pronounce voorkomt to ensure I mean 'prevents' and not 'occurs'?
You must put the stress on the second syllable: voor-KOMT. With dual-nature prefixed verbs, the inseparable version always takes the stress on the root verb, while the separable version takes the stress on the prefix.
The English translation says 'prevents the enemy from finding'. Why is there no Dutch equivalent for the word 'from'?
Dutch expresses this concept differently. Instead of using a preposition like 'from' plus an '-ing' verb, Dutch uses voorkomen followed by a dat (that) clause. You are literally saying 'The spy prevents that the enemy finds the code.'
Just to review, why is vindt placed at the very end of the sentence here?
The word dat introduces a subordinate clause. As a quick refresher: subordinate clauses require verb-final word order, which pushes the conjugated verb (vindt) to the very end of the clause.