Al wie de nalatenschap erft, moet de belasting betalen.
Whoever inherits the estate must pay the tax.
Breakdown of Al wie de nalatenschap erft, moet de belasting betalen.
betalen
to pay
moeten
to have to, must
de belasting
the tax
al wie
whoever
Questions & Answers about Al wie de nalatenschap erft, moet de belasting betalen.
How does al wie work in this sentence, and is it treated as singular or plural?
Al wie translates to 'whoever' or 'anyone who'. Even though it can refer to a whole group of people, it is treated as a grammatically singular subject. That is why the verb erft is conjugated in the singular form, just like in English where we say 'whoever inherits' instead of 'inherit'.
Why is the verb erft pushed to the end of the first part of the sentence?
The phrase al wie introduces a relative clause, which follows subordinate clause word order in Dutch. Because of this, the conjugated verb erft is sent to the very end of that clause, right before the comma.
Why does the second half of the sentence start immediately with the verb moet?
This is the classic verb-second (V2) rule in action. The entire first clause (Al wie de nalatenschap erft) acts as the first block of the sentence. To keep the main conjugated verb in the second position, moet has to come directly after the comma.
Could I say iedereen die instead of al wie here?
Yes, iedereen die (everyone who) means the exact same thing and is actually much more common in everyday spoken Dutch. Al wie sounds a bit more formal, but it fits perfectly in this sentence because discussing an estate (nalatenschap) and taxes is a formal, legal context.