Breakdown of Eén op de vier volwassenen kampt met slapeloosheid.
één
one
vier
four
met
with
op
in (in ratios, e.g. one in four)
Questions & Answers about Eén op de vier volwassenen kampt met slapeloosheid.
The English translation is "one in four", so why does the Dutch sentence use op de instead of in de?
When expressing statistical ratios like "one in four" or "two out of five", Dutch traditionally uses the preposition op, followed by the definite article de. Saying één in de vier is an anglicism and sounds unnatural in Dutch.
Since the phrase includes the plural noun volwassenen (adults), why is the verb singular (kampt)?
The grammatical subject of the sentence is the singular word Eén (One). The phrase op de vier volwassenen acts as a modifier telling you which "one" we mean. Because the core subject is singular, the verb must also be singular (kampt, not kampen).
The lesson mentions both op de and van de. Could I say Eén van de vier volwassenen here instead?
Yes, you can. Both één op de vier and één van de vier are correct and mean "one out of four". However, op de is the most natural choice for broad, general statistics (like national demographics). Van de is often preferred when referring to a specific, defined group (e.g., "one of the four adults in this room").
What is the infinitive of kampt, and is it the only way to say "struggles with"?