Word
Daarna doen we de boodschappen.
Meaning
After that we do the groceries.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Daarna doen we de boodschappen.
doen
to do
de boodschappen
the groceries
daarna
after that
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Daarna doen we de boodschappen.
Why does this sentence say doen we instead of we doen?
This is because of inversion. In a standard Dutch sentence, the verb must be in the second position. Because this sentence starts with the time word Daarna (After that) in position one, the verb doen (do) must take position two. The subject we gets pushed to position three, making the subject and verb swap places.
Is boodschappen doen a standard phrase for grocery shopping?
Yes! While boodschappen translates to "groceries" (or "errands"), Dutch uses the verb doen (to do) with it. So de boodschappen doen literally means "to do the groceries", which is the standard Dutch way to say "to go grocery shopping".
Does Daarna literally translate to "after that"?
It literally translates to "there-after". It is made by combining daar (there) and na (after). Dutch often combines daar with a preposition to mean "that [preposition]", so daarna is used exactly how English speakers use "after that".
Can I use the singular form boodschap instead of the plural boodschappen?
Not for grocery shopping. When you mean "groceries" or "errands", you must use the plural boodschappen. The singular word boodschap usually means a "message" (like a text message, voicemail, or the moral of a story).