Breakdown of Zij proberen de economie te verbeteren, die op vier na armste landen.
zij
they
vier
four
op
on
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
Questions & Answers about Zij proberen de economie te verbeteren, die op vier na armste landen.
How does op vier na armste translate to "fifth poorest"?
In Dutch, ranked superlatives use the structure op + [number] + na + [superlative]. This literally translates to "poorest, except for four (others)". If there are four countries that are poorer, this group must be the fifth poorest. Similarly, "second poorest" would be op een na armste.
Why does the superlative armste get an -e ending here?
Even though it is part of the multi-word phrase op vier na armste, the word armste is acting as an attributive adjective—it comes directly before the noun it describes (landen). In Dutch, adjectives and superlatives modifying plural nouns always take the -e ending.
Why use die instead of de before op vier na armste landen?
Here, die functions as a demonstrative pronoun meaning "those". The speaker isn't just saying "the fifth poorest countries" (which would be de op vier na armste landen), but is specifically pointing them out for emphasis: "those fifth poorest countries."
Why is die op vier na armste landen placed at the very end of the sentence after a comma?