Breakdown of We maken de keuken schoon.
de keuken
the kitchen
schoonmaken
to clean
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about We maken de keuken schoon.
What is the full verb here, and why is it split up?
The full verb is schoonmaken (to clean). This is a separable verb. In a basic present tense sentence, the core verb (maken) takes the second position, and the prefix (schoon) gets chopped off and pushed to the very end of the sentence.
Does schoonmaken literally translate to "to make clean"?
Exactly! Schoon means "clean" and maken means "to make". Dutch combines them into one separable verb to describe the action of cleaning.
Will the prefix schoon always go at the very end of the sentence?
Yes, in a simple main clause like this one! Even if you add more information to the sentence, like when or how you are cleaning, the separated prefix schoon acts like a bookend and stays at the very end.
The English translation says "are cleaning", but I don't see a word for "are" here. Why?
Dutch doesn't use a separate "to be" verb plus an "-ing" word like English does. The simple present tense maken ... schoon translates to both "clean" (as a habit) and "are cleaning" (happening right now).
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