Breakdown of De wijkraad zoekt draagvlak, dus daar wordt over gepraat.
daar
there
praten
to talk
zoeken
to look for
worden
to become
over
about
dus
so, therefore
de wijkraad
neighborhood council
het draagvlak
support / backing
Questions & Answers about De wijkraad zoekt draagvlak, dus daar wordt over gepraat.
Why does this sentence use daar wordt over gepraat instead of er wordt over gepraat?
The active verb is praten over (to talk about). To make a subjectless passive with a preposition, you usually use er + preposition (er wordt over gepraat). However, using daar instead of er acts as a demonstrative. It adds emphasis, pointing specifically back to draagvlak in the previous clause, meaning 'THAT is being talked about' rather than just 'it is being talked about'.
Since 'dat' means 'that', could I just say dus dat wordt over gepraat?
No, because you cannot combine a preposition with a regular pronoun like het or dat when referring to things in Dutch. You can never say over dat. Instead, it must turn into a pronominal adverb: daarover. In these prepositional passive sentences, this daar (or er) steps in to act as the grammatical subject, which is why it sits at the front of the clause.
Why is the word daarover split up by the verb wordt here?
In Dutch, pronominal adverbs like daarover (or erover) are frequently split. After the coordinating conjunction dus (so), the clause follows normal main clause word order. Daar takes the first position, pushing the finite verb wordt into the second position. The preposition over is placed later in the sentence, just before the past participle gepraat.
What is the difference between draagvlak and a more common word for support like steun?
Draagvlak (literally 'carrying surface') is a specific type of support. While steun means help or support in a general sense, draagvlak refers to broad backing, consensus, or approval from a group of people. It is very commonly used in politics, business, or local councils to indicate a solid base of community support.
Learn De wijkraad zoekt draagvlak, dus daar wordt over gepraat 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