Breakdown of Na het indienen van de motie voerde zij het woord.
zij
she
het woord
the word
het
it
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
na
after (preposition)
indienen
to submit
de motie
the motion
voeren
to conduct / carry on (a debate, discussion)
Questions & Answers about Na het indienen van de motie voerde zij het woord.
What does het woord voeren mean here, and why use it instead of just saying zij sprak?
Het woord voeren is a formal function verb structure meaning to speak or to take the floor. While zij sprak simply means she spoke, het woord voeren emphasizes the formal act of addressing an assembly or acting as a spokesperson. This elevated phrasing fits perfectly with the official context of the sentence.
Is voeren a common verb to use in other contexts, or is it only used in this set phrase?
The verb voeren literally means to feed, to carry, or to conduct. Outside of het woord voeren, it forms several other important function verb structures that B2 learners should know, such as oorlog voeren (to wage war), een gesprek voeren (to conduct a conversation), and actie voeren (to campaign or protest). In all these cases, voeren acts as a light verb putting an abstract noun into action.
Why do we use het indienen van instead of just using the verb indienen?
By placing het before the infinitive indienen (to submit), the verb is turned into a noun. This is similar to an English gerund (the submitting). Because it acts as a noun here, you need the preposition van (of) to connect it to de motie. This nominalized structure is frequently used after prepositions like na, bij, or tijdens to create a formal, written tone.
Why is the word order voerde zij instead of zij voerde?
This is a reminder of the inversion triggered by the V2 (verb-second) rule. Even though Na het indienen van de motie is a long phrase, it acts as a single block of time filling the first position of the sentence. Therefore, the finite verb voerde must take the second position, pushing the subject zij immediately after it.
Learn Na het indienen van de motie voerde zij het woord and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free