Breakdown of Het testament bepaalt dat al wie familie is, erft.
zijn
to be
de familie
the family
dat
that (conjunction)
bepalen
to determine / to decide (to establish, fix)
Questions & Answers about Het testament bepaalt dat al wie familie is, erft.
How does "al wie" change the meaning compared to just using "wie"?
The phrase al wie means "whoever" or "anyone who". While you could just use wie (who) in this sentence to mean "those who", adding al places a strong emphasis on the fact that the rule applies universally to absolutely everyone in that group.
Can I say "iedereen die" instead of "al wie" in this sentence?
Yes, iedereen die (everyone who) is a very common and natural alternative that means exactly the same thing. al wie is a slightly more formal or literary way to express "whoever", which fits perfectly here in the context of a legal document like a will (testament).
Why are the verbs "is" and "erft" placed right next to each other?
This happens because an embedded clause is acting as the subject. The entire phrase al wie familie is (whoever is family) functions as the subject of the dat (that) clause. The verb belonging to this whole subject is erft (inherits). The comma separates the verb inside the subject phrase (is) from the main verb of the surrounding clause (erft).
Is "familie" always singular in Dutch?
Yes, as a concept familie is a singular collective noun, which is why it takes the singular verb is here. If you wanted to refer to multiple specific relatives in a plural sense, you would use the word familieleden (family members).