Learn Hardcore Dutch: Het oude beleid was onduidelijk, daarom maken we nu een nieuwe aanpak. - The old policy was unclear; that’s why we’re now creating a new approach.

In Dutch, nouns have grammatical gender: common (de) or neuter (het). The word beleid means policy and is a neuter noun, so it takes the definite article het. You also add -e on the adjective after a definite article, giving oude.

Why do the adjectives oude and nieuwe end with -e instead of appearing in their base form?

Dutch adjectives get an -e ending when they come after any definite article (de, het) or in front of a plural or common-gender singular noun with an indefinite article (een). So:
• het oude beleid (definite + neuter; still oude)
• een nieuwe aanpak (indefinite een + common-gender noun aanpak → nieuwe)

What does onduidelijk mean, and how is it formed?

onduidelijk means unclear. It’s formed by adding the negative prefix on- to duidelijk (clear). Many Dutch adjectives form their opposite with on-:
• duidelijk → onduidelijk
• gelukkig → ongelukkig

Why is daarom placed at the beginning of the second clause, and why does the word order change?

daarom means therefore. When a sentence begins with an adverb like daarom, Dutch follows the V2 rule: the finite verb (here maken) must come directly after that adverb, so the subject (we) moves after the verb:
Daarom | maken | we | nu …
This phenomenon is called inversion.

Could you replace daarom with dus, and would the word order be the same?

Yes, you can use dus (so/therefore) in a similar way:
Dus maken we nu een nieuwe aanpak.
Just like daarom, dus at the start triggers inversion (verb-second).

Why is the past tense was used in the first clause and the present tense maken in the second?

The sentence describes two timeframes:
1) Het oude beleid was onduidelijk – the old policy existed in the past and is now over.
2) daarom maken we nu – we are currently (present) making a new approach.
Mixing tenses is common when each clause refers to a different time.

Is een nieuwe aanpak maken the best way to say to make a new approach, or could you use other verbs?

While maken (to make) is acceptable, Dutch often uses more specific verbs for developing policies or approaches:
• ontwikkelen – to develop
• opstellen – to draw up
• formuleren – to formulate
For example: Daarom ontwikkelen we nu een nieuwe aanpak would sound more formal.