Breakdown of Dit rekwisiet moet klaargelegd zijn voordat we filmen.
zijn
to be
dit
this (neuter)
moeten
to have to, must
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
voordat
before
filmen
to film
klaarleggen
to lay out
het rekwisiet
the prop
Questions & Answers about Dit rekwisiet moet klaargelegd zijn voordat we filmen.
Why does the sentence use moet klaargelegd zijn instead of moet klaargelegd worden?
This gets to the heart of stative versus dynamic passives. We use moet zijn because we are focusing on the required state of the prop (it needs to sit there ready) before the filming begins. If we used moet worden, it would emphasize the physical action of laying it out. Since we care about the completed result existing before a certain time, the stative zijn is correct here.
How is the word klaargelegd formed?
It is the past participle of the separable verb klaarleggen (to lay ready or prepare). When a separable verb is turned into a past participle, the ge- prefix is sandwiched between the separable part (klaar) and the verb stem (legd).
Why do klaargelegd and zijn cluster together at the end of the first clause?
Because moet is the conjugated modal verb in this main clause, it pushes all other verbs to the end. In Dutch modal passives, the past participle (klaargelegd) and the infinitive auxiliary (zijn) stack together at the very end of their clause, right before the conjunction voordat.
Is it always dit rekwisiet instead of deze rekwisiet?
Yes. The word for prop is a neuter noun (het rekwisiet). For all het words in the singular, you must use dit (this) or dat (that). If you were talking about multiple props, the noun would become plural and take deze (deze rekwisieten).
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