Learn Dutch: Wanneer vertrekt de trein? - When does the train leave?

Wanneer means "when". Just like in English, question words like wanneer, hoe (how), and waarom (why) usually go at the very beginning of the sentence to show you are asking an open question.

Why does the verb vertrekt come right after wanneer?

In Dutch, when you start a question with a question word like wanneer, the verb must come next, in the second position. The subject (de trein) switches places to come after the verb. This swapping of the subject and verb is called inversion.

The English translation says "When does the train leave". Why is there no word for "does" in the Dutch sentence?

Dutch doesn't use helping words like "do" or "does" to ask questions. Instead of saying "When does the train leave?", Dutch simply asks "When leaves the train?" (Wanneer vertrekt de trein?).

Why does the verb vertrekt end with a "t"?

The subject of the sentence is de trein (the train), which acts as an "it". In Dutch, for "he/she/it" subjects, you take the stem of the verb and add a "-t". The stem of vertrekken (to leave) is vertrek, so adding a "-t" makes it vertrekt.