Breakdown of Binnenkort zien we onze vriend.
zien
to see
de vriend
the friend
onze
our (de-words, plurals)
binnenkort
soon (in the near future)
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Binnenkort zien we onze vriend.
Why is the verb before the subject here, saying "zien we" instead of "we zien"?
The sentence starts with the time word binnenkort (soon). In Dutch, the verb must always be the second piece of information in a standard sentence. Because binnenkort takes the first spot, the subject we has to move after the verb zien to keep the verb in second place. This is called inversion.
The translation says "will see", but "zien" is present tense. Where is the word for "will"?
Dutch commonly uses the present tense to talk about the future. Because the word binnenkort (soon) already makes it obvious that this is happening in the future, you just use the present tense verb zien (see). You do not need to add a word for "will".
Why do we use "onze" for "our" instead of "ons"?
The Dutch word for "our" changes depending on the noun it belongs to. Because vriend is a de-word (de vriend), we use onze. You only use ons when describing a het-word, like het huis (the house).
Does "binnenkort" literally translate to "inside short"?
Exactly! The word binnen means "inside" or "within", and kort means "short". Put them together, and binnenkort literally means "within a short time", which is the normal Dutch word for "soon".
Learn Binnenkort zien we onze vriend and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free