Learn Dutch: Niemand anders dan de elite zou hier moeten binnenkomen.

In Dutch, anders dan translates to "other than" or "different from". When combined with niemand (nobody), the phrase niemand anders dan literally means "nobody other than". This is the standard way to express "nobody but" or "no one except" before a specific noun or pronoun, like de elite here.

Why does the sentence use zou moeten instead of just moet?

Zou moeten is the Dutch equivalent of "should" or "ought to". It is formed by combining the past tense of zullen (zou) with the infinitive moeten (must). If the sentence used moet, it would mean "Nobody but the elite must enter here," which is a rigid command. Zou moeten softens it to an expectation or a strong recommendation.

Binnenkomen is a separable verb. Why is it written as one single word at the end of the sentence?

Because it is in its full infinitive form. In a main clause, only the conjugated verb (here, zou) takes the second position. All other verbs are pushed to the end of the sentence to form a verb cluster (moeten binnenkomen). When a separable verb acts as a full infinitive at the end of a sentence, its prefix (binnen) and the core verb (komen) remain attached.

Since de elite refers to a group of people, why is the conjugated verb singular rather than the plural ?