Word
Niet dat ik wil klagen, maar sommige details moeten worden veranderd.
Meaning
Not that I want to complain, but some details must be changed.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Niet dat ik wil klagen, maar sommige details moeten worden veranderd.
ik
I
niet
not
maar
but
willen
to want
Questions & Answers about Niet dat ik wil klagen, maar sommige details moeten worden veranderd.
How does Niet dat affect the word order in the first half of the sentence?
Niet dat acts as a subordinating conjunction here. It introduces a subordinate clause, which forces the verbs to the end of that clause. That is why we use the subordinate word order ik wil klagen rather than a standard main clause structure.
Could I just say Niet om te klagen instead?
Yes, Niet om te klagen is a natural and common alternative meaning "Not to complain". However, the niet dat structure is extremely versatile because you can easily change the subject to pre-empt assumptions about anyone or anything, such as Niet dat zij wil klagen (Not that she wants to complain).
Does the conjunction maar cause the word order to flip (inversion) in the second clause?
No, maar is a coordinating conjunction (just like en or of). It links the two clauses together without taking up the "first position" of the new clause. Therefore, the second clause simply begins with standard main clause word order: the subject sommige details followed directly by the verb moeten.
Why are there three verbs (moeten worden veranderd) and can their order be swapped?