Breakdown of Het fenomeen zou buitenaards zijn.
zijn
to be
zullen
shall / will
het fenomeen
the phenomenon
buitenaards
extraterrestrial
Questions & Answers about Het fenomeen zou buitenaards zijn.
Why is zou translated as is said to instead of would here?
This is the evidential use of zouden, which is the main focus of this lesson. When you use zou or zouden to state a fact, it shows you are reporting hearsay, a rumor, or an unverified claim. In English, we usually translate this as is said to, supposedly, or allegedly.
How does the word buitenaards break down?
It is formed from buiten (outside) and aards (earthly). The word aards comes from aarde (Earth). So, literally meaning outside-earthly, it translates to extraterrestrial or alien.
Could I express this same rumor using men zegt dat instead of zou?
Yes, you could say men zegt dat het fenomeen buitenaards is (people say that the phenomenon is extraterrestrial). However, using zou is a very efficient and common way to do this in Dutch, especially in news reporting where journalists need to distance themselves from an unconfirmed claim.
Just to refresh my memory, why is the verb zijn at the very end of this sentence?
Because zou is acting as a modal auxiliary (helper) verb here. In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated helper verb takes the second position, pushing the main infinitive verb (zijn) to the very end of the sentence.