Breakdown of Het gaat om de houding, niet om de aanpak.
de houding
the attitude / the posture
de aanpak
the approach
het gaat om
it is about / it is a matter of
Questions & Answers about Het gaat om de houding, niet om de aanpak.
Why is gaat om used here to mean 'is about'?
In Dutch, the fixed expression het gaat om is used to say that something 'is about' or 'concerns' a specific topic. You can't literally translate English phrases like 'it is about' using the verb zijn (to be).
Where does the noun aanpak come from?
It is built from the separable verb aanpakken, which means 'to tackle', 'to handle', or 'to take on' a task. So, de aanpak is your 'approach' or the way you tackle something.
Can houding also mean a physical posture?
Yes! Houding comes from the verb houden (to hold) and can refer to how you hold your body (your physical posture) as well as how you hold your mind (your attitude or stance). Here, it clearly means attitude.
Why do we repeat the word om in the second half of the sentence?
Because the expression is gaan om, repeating the preposition om after niet keeps the sentence grammatically balanced. It makes the contrast between de houding and de aanpak very clear.
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