Breakdown of Ik denk de bevolking krimpt zonder migratie.
ik
I
denken
to think
zonder
without
de bevolking
the population
krimpen
to shrink
de migratie
the migration
Questions & Answers about Ik denk de bevolking krimpt zonder migratie.
Where is the word dat (that) after Ik denk?
In informal and spoken Dutch, the conjunction dat is frequently dropped after verbs like denken (to think), vinden (to find/feel), and zeggen (to say). This works exactly like English, where you can naturally say "I think [that] the population shrinks."
Why is the verb krimpt not at the end of the second clause?
Because dat was omitted, the second half of the sentence (de bevolking krimpt zonder migratie) acts as an independent main clause, meaning it keeps the standard verb-second word order. If you included dat, it would become a subordinate clause and push the verb to the end: Ik denk dat de bevolking zonder migratie krimpt.
Could I use neemt af instead of krimpt here?
Yes, afnemen (to decrease) is a very natural alternative and highly common when discussing statistics or populations. Krimpen (to shrink) gives a slightly more visual sense of contraction, but both are excellent and interchangeable in this context.
Why is there no article before migratie?
Just like in English, uncountable abstract nouns such as migratie often don't take a definite or indefinite article, especially after prepositions like zonder (without).
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