Learn Dutch: Naar men zegt, hebben de media het schandaal ontdekt. - As people say, the media have discovered the scandal.

Naar men zegt, hebben de media het schandaal ontdekt.

As people say, the media have discovered the scandal.

Breakdown of Naar men zegt, hebben de media het schandaal ontdekt.

one / people (general)

Questions & Answers about Naar men zegt, hebben de media het schandaal ontdekt.

How exactly does naar function in the phrase Naar men zegt?

In this structure, naar works like a conjunction meaning "according to what" or "as". Combined with a subject and a verb of reporting or thinking (like zegt), it frames the sentence as hearsay, knowledge, or assumption. Naar men zegt literally translates to "according to what one says" (rumor has it).

Why use men here instead of mensen or ze?

men is an indefinite pronoun similar to the general "they", "people", or "one" in English. It is a bit formal and commonly used in written Dutch or news reporting. While you might hear naar ze zeggen in casual speech, naar men zegt is a very standard fixed expression.

Why is the main verb hebben placed right after the comma?

This is due to the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire framing clause Naar men zegt acts as the first element of the sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, hebben must come immediately after the comma, causing inversion with the subject de media.

Why is the verb hebben plural when the subject is de media?