Breakdown of De gemeenteraad heeft de motie ingediend, maar de toezegging is nog niet gedaan.
zijn
to be
niet
not
maar
but
hebben
to have
doen
to do
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
indienen
to submit
de motie
the motion
de gemeenteraad
the municipal council
de toezegging
the commitment / the promise
Questions & Answers about De gemeenteraad heeft de motie ingediend, maar de toezegging is nog niet gedaan.
Why is gedaan used with toezegging instead of a literal translation of made?
In Dutch, making a commitment or promise is expressed with the function verb doen, forming the fixed formal phrase een toezegging doen. Using maken here would sound like a direct, incorrect translation from English.
What is the function verb structure used in the first clause?
The phrase is een motie indienen. While English uses verbs like submit or file, Dutch pairs the formal noun motie (motion) with the separable verb indienen (to submit) for official political or legal contexts.
Why does the second half of the sentence use is ... gedaan instead of heeft ... gedaan?
The second clause is in the passive voice. Because the action is happening to the commitment, it translates to the commitment has been made. Remember that the Dutch present perfect passive uses the auxiliary verb zijn (here conjugated as is) rather than hebben.
Could you express the second clause using a normal verb instead of a noun-verb structure?
Yes, you could use the verb toezeggen directly, for example: maar ze hebben het nog niet toegezegd (but they haven't promised it yet). However, using the noun-verb combination een toezegging doen elevates the register, making it sound more formal and bureaucratic, which perfectly fits the context of a gemeenteraad (municipal council).
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