Breakdown of De schade die door onrechtmatig gebruik veroorzaakt, wordt uitgesloten.
worden
to become
de schade
the damage
die
who / that (relative pronoun)
door
by (agent in a passive sentence)
het gebruik
the use; the custom
veroorzaken
to cause
uitsluiten
to exclude
onrechtmatig
unlawful
Questions & Answers about De schade die door onrechtmatig gebruik veroorzaakt, wordt uitgesloten.
Why is there no auxiliary verb after veroorzaakt in the relative clause?
This is an example of auxiliary omission. In formal written Dutch, the auxiliary verb can be left out at the end of a relative clause that contains a past participle. In normal speech or less formal writing, you would include it and say: die door onrechtmatig gebruik veroorzaakt is.
Which specific auxiliary verb was omitted here?
The omitted verb is is (or sometimes wordt). The full, unshortened clause is die door onrechtmatig gebruik veroorzaakt is (which has been caused by unlawful use). You generally only drop the auxiliary in passive constructions or with verbs that use zijn to form the perfect tense.
Is it okay to use this omission in everyday spoken Dutch?
No, you should avoid it in conversation. Dropping the auxiliary verb sounds extremely formal and is almost entirely restricted to written texts like legal contracts, academic papers, and official regulations.
Why is there a comma right between the two verbs veroorzaakt and wordt?
The comma marks the boundary between two clauses. The relative clause ends at veroorzaakt, and the main clause resumes with its finite verb, wordt. When sentence structure places two verbs from different clauses right next to each other, Dutch uses a comma to make the sentence easier to read.
Why is door used here to mean "by"?
In passive constructions, door is the standard preposition used to indicate the agent or cause of the action. Here, it points directly to what caused the damage (onrechtmatig gebruik).
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