Breakdown of Dan drinkt hij koffie.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
drinken
to drink
de koffie
the coffee
dan
then
Questions & Answers about Dan drinkt hij koffie.
Why does the verb come before the subject here (drinkt hij instead of hij drinkt)?
Because the sentence starts with the word Dan (then). In Dutch, the verb must always be the second idea in a main sentence. When you put a time word like Dan at the very beginning to emphasize it, the subject has to swap places with the verb. This keeps the verb in the second position.
Is it wrong to say Hij drinkt dan koffie?
No, Hij drinkt dan koffie is perfectly correct! That is the standard word order. You use Dan drinkt hij koffie when you want to put special focus on the time (the word Dan).
If the subject comes after the verb, shouldn't the '-t' be dropped from drinkt?
No, you only drop the -t when the subject is jij or je (you) and it comes right after the verb. Since the subject in this sentence is hij (he), the verb keeps its normal -t ending, even though they swapped places.
What exactly does dan mean in this sentence?
Dan usually means "then" or "after that" in a sequence of events, like "First he eats, then he drinks coffee." It can also mean "in that case" depending on what was said right before this sentence.
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