Breakdown of Moet elke take door de producent bekeken worden?
moeten
to have to, must
worden
to become
door
by (agent in a passive sentence)
elk
each, every
bekijken
to look at, to examine
de producent
the producer
de take
the take
Questions & Answers about Moet elke take door de producent bekeken worden?
Why do we use worden in this sentence instead of zijn?
Because this sentence describes an action that still needs to take place: the producer actually sitting down to watch the takes. This is a dynamic obligation. If you used zijn (Moet elke take door de producent bekeken zijn?), it would change into a stative necessity, meaning 'Must every take already have been viewed?' which focuses on the finished result.
Why are bekeken and worden placed together at the very end of the sentence?
In a yes/no question, the conjugated verb (moet) comes first. All other verbs in the sentence—here, the past participle bekeken and the passive auxiliary worden—are pushed to the very end of the clause. In passive sentences with a modal verb, the past participle almost always sits right before the infinitive.
Is take an English loanword, and why do we use elke instead of elk?
Yes, take is borrowed directly from English for use in the film and television industry. Because the vast majority of English loanwords in Dutch are de-words (de take), the word elk (each/every) must get an -e ending, making it elke take.
Can I put the phrase door de producent at the very end of the sentence, like in English?
No. While English puts 'by the producer' after the verbs, Dutch requires the agent of the action (door de producent) to come before the final verb cluster (bekeken worden). Putting it at the very end of the sentence is grammatically incorrect in Dutch.
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