Breakdown of Dan zien we hun hond.
de hond
the dog
zien
to see
hun
their
dan
then
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Dan zien we hun hond.
Why does the verb zien come before the subject we in this sentence?
Because the sentence starts with the time word dan (then). In Dutch, the verb must always be the second idea in a main sentence. When you put a word like dan at the front, the subject (we) has to move to the other side of the verb (zien) so the verb stays in the second spot. This swapping is called inversion.
How would the word order change if I started the sentence with we instead of dan?
If you start with the subject, the order goes back to a normal Subject-Verb-Object pattern: We zien dan hun hond. The verb zien is still in the second position, but because the subject we is first, they do not need to swap.
I remember that 'they' is zij or ze. Why does this sentence use hun for 'their'?
While zij and ze mean 'they' (the people doing the action), hun means 'their' (showing ownership). Just like in English you wouldn't say 'we see they dog,' in Dutch you must use the possessive word hun before hond.
Could I use wij instead of we in this sentence?
Yes, you can say Dan zien wij hun hond. You would use wij if you want to put special emphasis on who is seeing the dog (for example, 'Then we see their dog, not someone else'). Since there is no special emphasis on 'we' here, the shorter, unstressed form we is very common and natural.
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