De schade-expert bepaalt de dagwaarde.

Both schade-expert and dagwaarde are de-words in Dutch, so they take de.

A useful rule for compounds is this:

• the gender of a compound usually comes from the last part

So:

• expert is a de-word → de schade-expert
• waarde is a de-word → de dagwaarde

This is why you get de ... de ... in the sentence.

Because Dutch normally writes compound nouns as one word.

So:

• dag
  • waarde → dagwaarde

This is very common in Dutch. English often uses two words where Dutch prefers one compound word.

Some more examples:

• huis
  • deur → huisdeur
• ziekte
  • kosten → ziektekosten

So dagwaarde is completely normal Dutch spelling.

Dutch compounds are often written as one word, but a hyphen is sometimes used for readability, especially when one part is a loanword or when the result looks awkward without a hyphen.

Here, expert is an international/borrowed word, so schade-expert is a clear, readable spelling.

The main thing for a learner is:

• dagwaarde = one solid compound
• schade-expert = compound with a hyphen

You should treat both as single vocabulary items in this sentence.

Bepaalt is the third-person singular present tense of the verb bepalen.

The infinitive is:

• bepalen = to determine, to decide, to establish

In the present tense:

• ik bepaal
• jij bepaalt
• hij/zij/het bepaalt

Since the subject is de schade-expert and that is singular, the verb is bepaalt.

In the Dutch present tense, the verb usually gets -t with a singular subject like hij, zij, u, or a noun phrase such as de schade-expert.

So:

• infinitive: bepalen
• stem: bepaal
• third-person singular: bepaalt

That final -t is very normal in Dutch present-tense verbs.

This is a normal Dutch main clause, and Dutch main clauses usually follow the verb-second rule.

In this sentence, the first element is the subject:

• De schade-expert = first element

So the finite verb comes next:

• bepaalt

Then the object follows:

• de dagwaarde

So the structure is:

• De schade-expert | bepaalt | de dagwaarde

If you move something else to the front, the verb still stays in second position:

• Vandaag bepaalt de schade-expert de dagwaarde.

That is a very important Dutch pattern.

Dagwaarde usually means the current value of something at the time in question, especially in insurance, damage, or car-related contexts.

It is often closer to:

• current market value
• present-day value
• value at the moment just before the damage/loss

So it is more specific than just waarde.

For example, in an insurance context, dagwaarde is often the amount something is considered to be worth now, not what it originally cost.

No. Bepalen has a range of meanings depending on context, such as:

• determine
• decide
• set
• define
• establish

In this sentence, because the subject is a schade-expert, the meaning is something like:

• determine
• assess
• establish

So the exact English translation can vary a little depending on context, but the Dutch verb is perfectly natural here.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

duh SKHAA-duh eks-PAIRT buh-PAALT duh DAKH-vaar-duh

A few important points:

• sch in schade is not like English sh.
  In standard Dutch, it is more like s
  • a guttural ch sound.
• aa is a long vowel:
  • schade
  • bepaalt
  • waarde
• the g/ch sound in dagwaarde is guttural and does not really exist in standard English
• de is usually pronounced like a weak duh

If you want, you can think of the rhythm like this:

• de SCHAde-exPERT bePAALT de DAGwaarde

Not in normal standard Dutch. Dutch usually needs articles here.

So the natural sentence is:

• De schade-expert bepaalt de dagwaarde.

Leaving out both articles would sound like a headline, note, or very telegraphic language, not a normal full sentence.

Dutch uses articles more regularly than English learners sometimes expect.

Yes, depending on context.

On the surface, de schade-expert and de dagwaarde look definite, so they can refer to a specific damage expert and a specific value.

But in practical or instructional contexts, Dutch often uses the definite article for a role in a process:

• De schade-expert bepaalt de dagwaarde.

This can mean something like:

• The damage assessor determines the current value
• or more generally, The damage assessor is the one who determines the current value

So it may refer either to a specific person in a situation or to the role in general.

The plurals are:

• de schade-experts
• de dagwaarden

And the verb changes too:

• singular: De schade-expert bepaalt de dagwaarde.
• plural: De schade-experts bepalen de dagwaarde.

If there are multiple values, you could also say:

• De schade-experts bepalen de dagwaarden.

So:

• bepaalt = singular
• bepalen = plural

In a subordinate clause, Dutch typically sends the finite verb to the end.

Main clause:

• De schade-expert bepaalt de dagwaarde.

Subordinate clause:

• Ik denk dat de schade-expert de dagwaarde bepaalt.

Notice the difference:

• main clause: bepaalt comes early
• subordinate clause: bepaalt comes at the end

This is one of the biggest differences between Dutch and English syntax.