Breakdown of Ze zijn woensdag en vrijdag op de markt.
zijn
to be
en
and
op
on
woensdag
Wednesday
vrijdag
Friday
de markt
the market
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
Questions & Answers about Ze zijn woensdag en vrijdag op de markt.
Why does the Dutch sentence put the days before the market, while English does the opposite?
This is because of a very important Dutch word order rule: Time before Place. In English, we usually say where we are before when we are there ("at the market on Wednesday"). In Dutch, the time (woensdag en vrijdag) must come before the place (op de markt).
Ze can mean "she" or "they". How can we tell it means "they" in this sentence?
By looking at the verb! Here we have zijn (are), which is plural. If the sentence were about "she", the verb would be singular: Ze is (She is).
Why is there no word for "on" before woensdag and vrijdag?
While you can say op woensdag (on Wednesday), it is very common in Dutch to just drop the preposition and use the day of the week all by itself to show when something happens.
Why does the sentence use op to mean "at" the market?
In Dutch, you use op (which literally means "on") for open, public spaces and events. So you are literally "on the market" (op de markt), just like you would be "on" a public square or "on" the station.
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