Breakdown of Jullie luisteren nu naar de muziek.
jullie
you (plural)
nu
now
naar
to
luisteren
to listen
de muziek
the music
Questions & Answers about Jullie luisteren nu naar de muziek.
The English translation says 'are listening', but I don't see a word for 'are' here. Why is that?
In Dutch, the present tense covers both actions happening generally and actions happening right now. You don't need a separate verb for 'are' — the verb luisteren means both 'listen' and 'are listening'.
Why is the verb luisteren in its full dictionary form?
Because the subject is jullie (plural 'you'). In Dutch, plural subjects (wij, jullie, zij) use the plural form of the verb, which is exactly the same as the infinitive (the dictionary form). This almost always ends in -en.
Why do we need the word naar?
Naar translates to 'to' here. Just like in English where we say 'listen to something', in Dutch you use the fixed combination luisteren naar.
Why is nu placed right after the verb, instead of at the end like in English?
In Dutch, words that tell you when something happens (like nu) prefer to sit right after the verb. It is more natural in Dutch to say 'You listen now to the music' rather than leaving 'now' for the very end.
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