Word
Het vonnis volgt na de verklaring van de verdachte.
Meaning
The verdict follows the suspect's statement.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Het vonnis volgt na de verklaring van de verdachte.
de verdachte
the suspect
het vonnis
the verdict
de verklaring
the statement / the explanation
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Questions & Answers about Het vonnis volgt na de verklaring van de verdachte.
Why is na used here? In English we just say 'follows the statement'.
When talking about a chronological sequence in Dutch, it is common to use volgen na (to follow after). If you just used volgt de verklaring, it could imply following a physical path or obeying instructions, rather than simply happening later in time.
Is het vonnis always a guilty verdict?
No, het vonnis is the neutral legal term for the judge's ruling or verdict, which can be either a conviction or an acquittal. If you want to specify a conviction, you would use the word de veroordeling.
How is the noun verdachte formed?
It is formed from verdacht (suspected), which is the past participle of the verb verdenken (to suspect). Like many adjectives used to describe a person in Dutch, it gets an -e ending when turned into a noun, becoming de verdachte (the suspect).
Verklaring often means 'explanation'. Why is it translated as 'statement' here?
The verb verklaren means to declare or to explain. In an everyday context, een verklaring is usually an explanation. However, in legal or formal contexts (signaled here by vonnis and verdachte), it refers to a formal declaration, statement, or testimony.