Breakdown of Zouden ze de neergestorte ufo hebben verdoezeld?
hebben
to have
zullen
shall / will
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
neerstorten
to crash (aircraft, fall down)
de ufo
the UFO
verdoezelen
to cover up
Questions & Answers about Zouden ze de neergestorte ufo hebben verdoezeld?
Why is zouden translated as "allegedly" here rather than "would"?
In Dutch, zouden is frequently used to report rumors, hearsay, or unverified claims without stating them as facts. While the sentence literally asks "Would they have covered up...", translating it with "allegedly", "supposedly", or "are said to" captures this specific "rumor" function much better in English.
How does the grammar of zouden ... hebben verdoezeld work to form a past tense question?
To make an allegation about a completed action using the modal verb zouden, you need a past infinitive at the end of the sentence. You create this by combining hebben (to have) with the past participle verdoezeld (covered up). Because it's a yes/no question, the conjugated verb (Zouden) takes the first position.
Why does neergestorte get an -e at the end?
Neergestort is a past participle (from neerstorten, to crash) functioning as an adjective here to describe the UFO. Because ufo is a de-word, the adjective gets the standard -e inflection when it comes after the definite article de.
Why doesn't the past participle verdoezeld get a ge- prefix?
The verb is verdoezelen (to cover up, blur, or obscure). Because it starts with the unstressed prefix ver-, it is an inseparable verb. Inseparable verbs never take a ge- prefix in their past participle form.
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