Breakdown of Afgaande op de nieuwe informatie, verwerpen we de eerdere hypothese over het spookhuis.
wij
we
het
it
nieuw
new
de informatie
the information
over
about
eerder
earlier
het spookhuis
the haunted house
afgaande op
judging by / based on
de hypothese
the hypothesis
verwerpen
to reject (an idea, proposal, or theory)
Questions & Answers about Afgaande op de nieuwe informatie, verwerpen we de eerdere hypothese over het spookhuis.
The lesson covers both afgaande op and uitgaande van. Why is afgaande op used here?
Afgaande op means "judging by" or "going by", implying you are evaluating external evidence (the new information) to reach a conclusion. If you had used uitgaande van, it would mean "assuming" or "starting from the premise of". Because the sentence is about drawing a conclusion from evidence rather than setting up an assumption, afgaande op is the natural choice.
Where does the form afgaande come from?
It is the present participle of the separable verb afgaan op (to go by / to rely on). In Dutch, you create a present participle by adding -d or -de to the infinitive, so afgaan becomes afgaande.
Why is the word order verwerpen we instead of we verwerpen?
The entire participial phrase Afgaande op de nieuwe informatie acts as a single block occupying the first position in the sentence. Because Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule, the main verb verwerpen must come immediately after the comma, which pushes the subject we to the third position.
Does the verb verwerpen literally mean "to throw away"?
Essentially, yes! It combines the prefix ver- (which often implies a change, removal, or negative action) with werpen (to throw). In modern Dutch, verwerpen is mostly used in abstract contexts, meaning to "reject" or "dismiss" an idea, proposal, or hypothesis.
Why does eerder have an -e at the end here (eerdere)?
The word eerder is functioning as an adjective here (meaning "earlier" or "previous") modifying hypothese. Because hypothese is a de-word and follows the definite article de, the adjective takes the standard -e ending.
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