Breakdown of De steekproef is aanzienlijk groter dan dat we gisteren verwachtten.
zijn
to be
groot
big
gisteren
yesterday
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
verwachten
to expect
dan
than
dat
that (conjunction)
aanzienlijk
considerably
de steekproef
the sample
Questions & Answers about De steekproef is aanzienlijk groter dan dat we gisteren verwachtten.
Why do we use dan dat instead of just dan in this sentence?
We use dan dat because we are comparing the sample's size to a full clause (an action we did yesterday) rather than a simple noun. While English just says "than we expected", Dutch uses dat as a bridge to smoothly introduce the full subordinate clause that describes that expectation.
How does using dan dat affect the word order?
The word dat turns the second half of the comparison into a subordinate clause. In Dutch, subordinate clauses require verb-final word order, which is why the conjugated verb verwachtten is pushed all the way to the end of the sentence.
Why is verwachtten spelled with a double 't' here?
This is the past tense plural of the verb verwachten. The stem of the verb is verwacht (which already ends in a 't'). Because 't' is one of the voiceless consonants in the 't kofschip rule, we add the past tense plural ending -ten. So, stem (verwacht) + ending (ten) gives us verwachtten.
What is the literal meaning of steekproef?
It is a compound of steek (a stab or stitch) and proef (a test, trial, or experiment). Literally a "stab test", it translates to "sample" in English. It is typically used for statistical samples, surveys, or random spot checks.
Could I just say veel groter instead of aanzienlijk groter?
Yes, veel groter (much larger) is grammatically correct and very common in casual speech. However, aanzienlijk (considerably or significantly) is excellent B2-level vocabulary. It sounds more formal and is exactly what you would use in a professional or academic context when discussing data.
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