Word
Dit wanbeheer leidde tot een vreselijke wanprestatie.
Meaning
This mismanagement led to a terrible poor performance.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Dit wanbeheer leidde tot een vreselijke wanprestatie.
een
a/an
dit
this (neuter)
vreselijk
awful, dreadful
leiden
to lead
Questions & Answers about Dit wanbeheer leidde tot een vreselijke wanprestatie.
What is the difference between the prefixes wan- and mis- in this context?
The prefix wan- indicates badness, deficiency, or disorder, similar to the English prefix mal-. While mis- often simply means something went wrong or was done incorrectly, wan- implies a more severe or structural lack of quality. Thus, wanbeheer is severe mismanagement or maladministration.
Does adding a prefix like wan- change the gender of the original noun?
No, prefixed words always keep the gender of their base noun. beheer is a het-word, so wanbeheer is also a het-word (which is why we use Dit). Similarly, prestatie is a de-word, making wanprestatie a de-word too. That is why the adjective gets an -e ending after een: een vreselijke wanprestatie.
Is wanprestatie a common word to use when someone just does a bad job?
It is quite a strong word! In legal and business contexts, a wanprestatie specifically translates to a breach of contract. In everyday use, like reviewing a sports match, you would only call it a wanprestatie if the performance was absolutely dismal and unacceptable.
Why does leidde have a double d?