Word
Doordat de urgentie hoog is, behandelen wij de te herzien nota meteen.
Meaning
Because the urgency is high, we process the bill to be revised immediately.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Doordat de urgentie hoog is, behandelen wij de te herzien nota meteen.
zijn
to be
wij
we
meteen
immediately
hoog
high / tall
Questions & Answers about Doordat de urgentie hoog is, behandelen wij de te herzien nota meteen.
How does de te herzien nota translate to a passive meaning like 'the bill to be revised'?
This uses the attributive modal infinitive. When you put te plus an infinitive directly in front of a noun, it acts like an adjective expressing a passive obligation or possibility. It means the bill needs to be or will be revised. It is a concise, formal alternative to a longer clause like de nota die herzien moet worden.
Because it acts as an adjective before a de word (de nota), shouldn't herzien get an -e ending?
Normally, adjectives before a de word get an -e ending. However, in this specific construction (te + infinitive), the infinitive keeps its basic dictionary form and does not get an -e. You say de te herzien nota, just like you would say de te betalen rekening. You might occasionally see an -e added in very old or highly formal Dutch, but it is not standard today.
Why is the main clause word order swapped to behandelen wij?
The sentence begins with a subordinate clause (Doordat de urgentie hoog is), which acts as a single block taking up the first position. Because Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb in second position), the main verb behandelen must come next. This pushes the subject wij to the third position, causing inversion.
Is there a difference between using doordat and for 'because' in this sentence?