Word
Men wordt geacht de uitleg te formuleren.
Meaning
One is expected to formulate the explanation.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Men wordt geacht de uitleg te formuleren.
formuleren
to formulate
de uitleg
the explanation
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Questions & Answers about Men wordt geacht de uitleg te formuleren.
How exactly does the phrase wordt geacht te work in this sentence?
The construction geacht worden te + infinitive is a formal way to express expectation, similar to 'to be supposed to' or 'to be expected to' in English. In this sentence, wordt is the conjugated verb, geacht is the past participle, and te formuleren is the attached infinitive phrase.
Where does the word geacht come from?
It is the past participle of the verb achten, which means 'to consider', 'to deem', or 'to respect'. Literally, this sentence means 'One is considered to formulate the explanation.' In modern Dutch, achten is quite formal and is most frequently seen in this specific passive construction.
Why use the pronoun men here instead of je or ze?
Men is the formal, written equivalent of the generic 'one' or 'people'. Because geacht worden is a very formal construction often found in rules or official instructions, men fits the high register perfectly. In everyday spoken Dutch, you would be more likely to hear Je wordt geacht... or simply Je moet....
Why is de uitleg placed before te formuleren?