Learn Dutch: Wij zouden niemand anders dan invloedrijke connecties moeten uitnodigen. - We should invite nobody but influential connections.

Wij zouden niemand anders dan invloedrijke connecties moeten uitnodigen.

We should invite nobody but influential connections.

Breakdown of Wij zouden niemand anders dan invloedrijke connecties moeten uitnodigen.

Questions & Answers about Wij zouden niemand anders dan invloedrijke connecties moeten uitnodigen.

How do we structure a sentence with niemand anders dan?

It acts as a single block that means "nobody but" or "nobody else than". You place it right before the noun or pronoun that is the exception—in this case, invloedrijke connecties. The entire block then functions together as the direct object of the sentence.

Why do we use zouden and moeten together to say "should"?

To say "should" in Dutch, we often use the past conditional form of zullen (which is zouden for "we") combined with moeten (must or have to). Literally, this combination translates to "we would have to".

Why are the verbs moeten and uitnodigen pushed to the very end?

In a Dutch main clause, only the conjugated verb (zouden) takes the second position. All other verbs in the sentence form a "verb cluster" at the end of the clause. This means the entire direct object phrase (niemand anders dan invloedrijke connecties) must come before them.

Why does the adjective invloedrijk get an -e ending here?

Connecties is a plural noun. In Dutch, adjectives placed directly before a plural noun always get an -e ending, regardless of whether there is an article in front of them or not.