Breakdown of Afgaande op wat we waarnemen, is het landhuis volkomen veilig.
zijn
to be
wij
we
het
it
veilig
safe
wat
that / which (relative)
volkomen
completely / absolutely (utterly, perfectly)
afgaande op
judging by / based on
waarnemen
to observe (with the senses)
het landhuis
the manor
Questions & Answers about Afgaande op wat we waarnemen, is het landhuis volkomen veilig.
How exactly does the phrase Afgaande op work in this sentence?
It is a present participle created from the separable verb afgaan op, which means 'to go by' or 'to judge by'. By adding -de to the infinitive, it works like an English '-ing' word. In this sentence, it sets up a logical premise: you are drawing a conclusion based on the external evidence you just introduced.
Since this lesson also covers uitgaande van, could we use that instead here?
Not really, as they have distinct nuances. Afgaande op means 'judging by' or 'going by'—it is used when you are looking at external evidence or signals, which fits perfectly with observing (waarnemen). Uitgaande van means 'assuming' or 'starting from the premise that', which is more about an internal starting thought or theoretical assumption rather than reacting to visual evidence.
Why does the main clause invert the subject and verb to say is het landhuis instead of het landhuis is?
This is a classic application of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire introductory participle clause, Afgaande op wat we waarnemen, occupies the first grammatical position in the sentence. Because the main verb must always be in the second position, the verb is directly follows the comma, pushing the subject (het landhuis) to the third position.
The verb waarnemen (to observe) is separable. Why isn't it split apart here?
Because it is part of a subordinate clause. The phrase wat we waarnemen acts as a dependent clause introduced by the pronoun wat. In Dutch subordinate clauses, all verbs are pushed to the end of the clause. When a separable verb is sent to the end like this, its prefix and core verb reattach into a single word.
Learn Afgaande op wat we waarnemen, is het landhuis volkomen veilig and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free