Word
De theorie wordt door deze grote steekproef bevestigd.
Meaning
The theory is confirmed by this large sample.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of De theorie wordt door deze grote steekproef bevestigd.
groot
big
deze
this / these
worden
to become
bevestigen
to confirm
Questions & Answers about De theorie wordt door deze grote steekproef bevestigd.
Why is wordt used here instead of is?
In English, we say "is confirmed," but in Dutch, the present tense of the passive voice uses worden (to become). If you used is bevestigd, it would mean the action is completely finished, translating to "has been confirmed." We use wordt because the theory is actively being confirmed by the sample.
Why is the past participle bevestigd pushed to the very end of the sentence?
This is the standard Dutch sentence structure known as the verb bracket. The conjugated verb wordt takes the second position, and any remaining verbs like the past participle bevestigd go at the very end of the clause, wrapping around the other information.
Is door always the word used for "by" in passive sentences?
Yes, when you want to show who or what is performing the action in a passive sentence, you use door. It introduces the agent of the action, which in this case is the grote steekproef.
What is the literal meaning of steekproef?
It literally translates to a stab test. Historically, inspectors would stab a hole in a sack of grain or coffee to extract and test a small portion of the contents. Today, it is simply the standard Dutch term for a statistical or scientific sample.