Door je pincode hardop te zeggen neem je een groot risico.

Door je pincode hardop te zeggen neem je een groot risico.
By saying your PIN code out loud you take a big risk.
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Questions & Answers about Door je pincode hardop te zeggen neem je een groot risico.

What does door mean in this sentence?

door is a preposition indicating cause or means, very much like “by” in English. Here it introduces the action that leads to the result in the main clause:
• Door je pincode hardop te zeggen → “By saying your PIN code out loud”
• neem je een groot risico → “you take a big risk.”

Why does the sentence use door … te + infinitive?

In Dutch, to express “by doing something,” you combine door with an infinitive clause. Any Dutch infinitive clause needs te before the verb. The overall pattern is:
door + [object/adverb] + te + [infinitive]
So door je pincode hardop te zeggen literally means “by your PIN code out loud to say.”

Why is the word order je pincode hardop te zeggen in the subordinate clause?

Dutch infinitive clauses generally follow this sequence:

  1. Object(s) (here je pincode)
  2. Adverb(s) (here hardop)
  3. te
    • verb (here te zeggen)
      You could technically shift hardop (“out loud”) before je pincode, but the unmarked, most natural order is object → adverb → te-verb.
Why does the main clause say neem je instead of je neemt?

When a subordinate clause (like the door-clause) starts the sentence, Dutch inverts the subject and finite verb in the main clause. Instead of je neemt, you get neem je:

[door-clause], neem je een groot risico.

Can I put a comma after the subordinate clause?

Yes. In Dutch a comma after a leading subordinate clause is optional but often used for clarity. Both are correct:

  • Door je pincode hardop te zeggen neem je een groot risico.
  • Door je pincode hardop te zeggen, neem je een groot risico.
Why is je used instead of jouw or u?

• je is the unstressed, informal second-person singular possessive (“your”).
• jouw is the stressed form (“your, emphatic”). You’d use it to contrast or emphasize: “jouw pincode, niet die van mij.”
• u is the formal “you.” If you wanted a more polite register, you could say Door uw pincode hardop te zeggen…

Why is pincode written as one word?
Dutch often forms compounds by sticking nouns together. pin + code becomes pincode. Unlike English (“PIN code”), Dutch merges them into a single word whenever they function as one concept.
What’s the difference between een groot risico nemen and een groot risico lopen?

Both translate to “take/run a big risk,” but there’s a subtle nuance:

  • risico nemen: focuses on the actor’s choice or willingness to take the risk.
  • risico lopen: highlights being exposed to danger or the possibility of a bad outcome.
    In many contexts they’re interchangeable, but nemen feels more active, lopen a bit more passive.