Breakdown of Dit is de op één na grootste stad, maar het inwoneraantal krimpt door de vergrijzing.
zijn
to be
groot
big
maar
but
één
one
de stad
the city
op
on
dit
this (neuter)
het
it
na
after (preposition)
door
because of / due to
het inwoneraantal
the population size
krimpen
to shrink
de vergrijzing
the aging (of a population)
Questions & Answers about Dit is de op één na grootste stad, maar het inwoneraantal krimpt door de vergrijzing.
How exactly does op één na grootste mean second largest?
This is a fixed Dutch structure for ranked superlatives. Literally, it means largest, except for one, because op ... na means excluding or except for. Therefore, the largest excluding one is the second largest. For the third largest, you simply change the number: de op twee na grootste.
Why does één have accent marks in this sentence?
The acute accents on één distinguish the number one from the indefinite article een (a or an). In the specific expression op een na, the accents are technically optional in official spelling rules because the context already makes it clear that it is a number, but they are very commonly added for extra clarity.
How is the word inwoneraantal formed, and how do we know it uses het?
It is a compound noun made of inwoner (inhabitant or resident) and aantal (number). Like all Dutch compound nouns, it takes the gender and article of its final part. Since it is het aantal, the combined word becomes het inwoneraantal.
Why is door used here to mean due to instead of omdat?
Door indicates a cause and must be followed by a noun or noun phrase, which in this case is de vergrijzing. You cannot use omdat here because omdat requires a full subclause with its own subject and a verb sent to the end of the clause.
What is the literal translation of vergrijzing?
It literally translates to greying. It is derived from the adjective grijs (grey) and is the standard Dutch term used in news and sociology to describe the demographic trend of an aging population.
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