Word
Het tegenbod wordt afgewezen, wat niet onwaarschijnlijk is.
Meaning
The counteroffer is rejected, which is not unlikely.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Het tegenbod wordt afgewezen, wat niet onwaarschijnlijk is.
zijn
to be
niet
not
worden
to become
wat
that / which (relative)
Questions & Answers about Het tegenbod wordt afgewezen, wat niet onwaarschijnlijk is.
Why use niet onwaarschijnlijk instead of just saying waarschijnlijk?
This is a deliberate understatement called litotes. By negating the opposite (onwaarschijnlijk means unlikely), the speaker actually emphasizes the probability. Saying something is niet onwaarschijnlijk (not unlikely) implies it is actually highly possible or quite expected, but framed in a more cautious or rhetorical way.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with wat rather than dat?
You use wat when the relative pronoun refers back to an entire preceding clause or situation, not just a specific noun. Here, wat refers to the whole event of the counteroffer being rejected. If it were referring only to the neuter noun het tegenbod, you would use dat.
Why is wordt used instead of is in wordt afgewezen?
Dutch makes a strict distinction between an action taking place and a completed state. Wordt afgewezen describes the action of the rejection happening (the counteroffer is being rejected). If you used is afgewezen, it would mean the rejection is already a completed event in the past (the counteroffer has been rejected).
What is the root of the word tegenbod?