Breakdown of De bewindslieden hebben gelogen, vandaar dat ze de politiek verlaten.
hebben
to have
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
dat
that (conjunction)
liegen
to lie (tell an untruth)
de politiek
the politics
vandaar
hence
verlaten
to leave / to abandon (a place or person)
de bewindsman
the government minister
Questions & Answers about De bewindslieden hebben gelogen, vandaar dat ze de politiek verlaten.
What is the singular form of bewindslieden?
The singular is bewindsman (government minister). Just like zeeman becomes zeelieden, bewindsman changes its suffix to -lieden in the plural to refer to a group of ministers. You might also see the alternative plural bewindslui, which is slightly more informal, or bewindspersonen to be explicitly gender-neutral.
Why do we use vandaar dat instead of just vandaar?
In English, you can simply say hence they leave. But in Dutch, when vandaar (hence or for that reason) introduces a new clause with a subject and a conjugated verb, you must add the conjunction dat. Because dat introduces a subordinate clause, all verbs in that clause are pushed to the end, resulting in the word order ze de politiek verlaten.
Why is there an article in de politiek when the English translation just says politics?
Dutch often uses a definite article (de or het) for abstract concepts, institutions, and broad fields of work or study where English drops it. Therefore, leaving politics translates to de politiek verlaten, similar to how nature is translated as de natuur.
Why are two different verb tenses used in this sentence?
The present perfect hebben gelogen is used because the lying is a completed action in the past that has a strong relevance to the present. The present tense verlaten is used for the second part because leaving politics is the action happening right now as a direct consequence of that past lie.
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