Word
De besloten kring had niemand anders dan invloedrijke vrienden.
Meaning
The private circle had nobody but influential friends.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of De besloten kring had niemand anders dan invloedrijke vrienden.
hebben
to have
de vriend
the friend
niemand
no one
dan
than
Questions & Answers about De besloten kring had niemand anders dan invloedrijke vrienden.
Could I just say niemand dan instead of niemand anders dan?
While niemand dan is occasionally used in formal or older texts, niemand anders dan is the standard, natural way to say "nobody but" or "nobody else than" in modern Dutch. The word anders is essentially required here to form the everyday expression.
Can I use behalve instead of anders dan here?
Yes, you could say niemand behalve invloedrijke vrienden. However, using niemand anders dan (nobody else than) places a slightly stronger, more dramatic emphasis on the exclusivity of the group. It highlights that the circle consisted strictly of these specific people and absolutely no one else.
The word besloten usually means "decided". Why does it mean "private" here?
The verb besluiten can mean "to decide", but its original, literal meaning is "to close". Because besloten is its past participle, it also means "closed". In contexts like een besloten kring (a private circle) or een besloten feest (a private party), it describes an event or group that is closed off to the general public.
What does the -rijk part of invloedrijke mean?