Learn Dutch: Naar ik weet, heeft de klokkenluider het document gelekt. - As far as I know, the whistleblower has leaked the document.

In these types of framing clauses, the word naar acts like a conjunction meaning 'according to what' or 'to the extent that'. While you might be tempted to literally translate the English phrase as voor zover ik weet (which is also perfectly correct!), naar ik weet is a standard, slightly more formal way to express 'to my knowledge' or 'as far as I know'.

Why is there inversion (heeft de klokkenluider) after the comma?

The entire framing clause Naar ik weet takes up the first position in the sentence. Since Dutch requires the conjugated verb to be in the second position (the V2 rule), the verb heeft must immediately follow the clause, pushing the subject (de klokkenluider) to the other side of the verb.

What is the literal translation of the word klokkenluider?

It literally translates to 'bell ringer'! It comes from klokken (bells) and luiden (to ring or sound). Just as English uses someone blowing a whistle as the metaphor for exposing secrets, Dutch uses someone ringing an alarm bell.

Can I use naar mijn weten instead of naar ik weet in this sentence?