Breakdown of De directeur had precies dezelfde opvatting als de medewerkers.
hebben
to have
precies
exactly
als
as (like / conjunction)
de medewerker
the employee
Questions & Answers about De directeur had precies dezelfde opvatting als de medewerkers.
Why is it dezelfde opvatting and not hetzelfde opvatting?
Because opvatting is a de word. Almost all Dutch nouns ending in -ing take de. When saying "the same" with a de word (or any plural noun), you must use dezelfde. You only use hetzelfde with singular het words.
Why do we use als here instead of dan?
When expressing that things are identical or equal, Dutch uses als (matching the "as" in "the same as"). You only use dan when expressing a difference, such as with comparative adjectives (groter dan) or when using een andere ... dan (a different ... than).
Is there a difference between opvatting and mening?
They are very similar and often interchangeable in everyday speech. Mening is the standard word for a personal "opinion." Opvatting is slightly more formal and translates closer to a "view," "conception," or "belief" about how something is or should be.
Do I need to repeat the verb at the end, like ...als de medewerkers hadden?
No, you don't need to, although it wouldn't be grammatically wrong. Just like in English, it is perfectly natural and much more common to drop the second verb when it matches the first half of the sentence.