Word
Hij meent de waarheid te spreken, maar zijn claim is ongegrond.
Meaning
He claims to speak the truth, but his claim is unfounded.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hij meent de waarheid te spreken, maar zijn claim is ongegrond.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
maar
but
de waarheid
the truth
Questions & Answers about Hij meent de waarheid te spreken, maar zijn claim is ongegrond.
Why does menen translate to "claims" here instead of "means"?
You likely already know menen as "to mean" or "to be serious about" (as in ik meen het). However, in the specific structure menen te + infinitive, it expresses a subjective claim or a firm belief. Here, hij meent ... te spreken means he claims or firmly believes he is speaking the truth.
Where exactly does the te spreken go in this sentence structure?
In Dutch, the te + infinitive part of this construction is pushed to the end of the clause. Any direct objects or modifiers, like de waarheid in this case, must be placed between the conjugated verb (meent) and the infinitive phrase (te spreken).
Is claim a normal Dutch word, or just an English loanword?
It is an English loanword, but it is fully integrated and very common in modern Dutch. It is used just like a native noun, and there is even a Dutch verb form: claimen. If you prefer a native Dutch equivalent for this sentence, you could use bewering.
How is the adjective ongegrond formed?