Breakdown of Duurt dat project tot half twaalf?
het project
the project
dat
that (het-words)
twaalf
twelve
half
half (past) / half (fraction)
tot
until
duren
to last / to take time
Questions & Answers about Duurt dat project tot half twaalf?
Wait, doesn't half twaalf mean half past twelve?
No, in Dutch, half hours look ahead to the next hour. So half twaalf literally means halfway to twelve, which is 11:30 or half past eleven in English. This is a very common trap for English speakers!
Why does the sentence start with Duurt?
Because this is a yes/no question. In Dutch, you make these questions by putting the verb first, followed by the subject. Unlike English, Dutch does not use a helper word like 'does'. So 'Does that project last...?' simply becomes Duurt dat project...?
Why is it dat project and not die project?
Because project is a neuter word (het project). When you want to say 'that' for a het-word, you must use dat. If you were talking about a de-word, you would use die.
Does tot always mean 'until'?
When talking about time, yes! Tot is the standard Dutch word for 'until' or 'till'. You can use it with times on the clock (tot half twaalf), days (tot morgen - until tomorrow), or months.
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