Breakdown of Hierdoor vindt de zinloze vergadering niet plaats.
niet
not
de vergadering
the meeting
zinloos
pointless
hierdoor
because of this / due to this
Questions & Answers about Hierdoor vindt de zinloze vergadering niet plaats.
Why does the verb vindt come before the subject de zinloze vergadering?
The sentence starts with the causal adverb Hierdoor ("because of this"). Whenever a main clause starts with something other than the subject, Dutch applies inversion to maintain the verb-second (V2) rule. Therefore, vindt stays in the second position, pushing the subject to the third position.
Vindt and plaats are separated here. How do we know where to put plaats?
Plaatsvinden (to take place) is a separable verb. In a standard main clause, the conjugated part (vindt) takes the second position, while the separable prefix (plaats) gets kicked to the very end of the sentence.
The base adjective is zinloos. Why is it spelled zinloze here?
Because vergadering is a de word and is preceded by a definite article, the adjective needs an -e ending. Adding this -e creates an open syllable, so we drop one o to keep the long vowel sound. Additionally, the final s of zinloos changes to a z because it is now sandwiched between two vowels.
Why is niet placed right before plaats instead of earlier in the sentence?