Breakdown of Hoe laat komen we vandaag aan?
vandaag
today
laat
late
hoe
how
aankomen
to arrive
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
hoe laat
what time
Questions & Answers about Hoe laat komen we vandaag aan?
Why is the word aan sitting at the very end of this sentence?
This is because of a "separable verb." The full dictionary verb is aankomen (to arrive). In a main sentence like this, the verb splits: the core part (komen) goes in the normal verb spot, and the prefix (aan) gets kicked to the very end of the sentence.
Wait, doesn't Hoe laat literally mean "How late"?
Yes, it does! In Dutch, you don't ask "what time," you ask "how late." Whenever you want to ask what time an event happens, or just "What time is it?" (Hoe laat is het?), you will use Hoe laat.
Why is it komen we instead of we komen?
Because this is a question that starts with a question phrase (Hoe laat). In Dutch, the verb must come right after the question phrase. This forces the subject (we) and the verb (komen) to swap places.
Why does vandaag (today) come before aan?
As a strict rule, the separated prefix of a verb (in this case, aan) must go at the very end of the clause. Therefore, any extra details, like the time word vandaag, have to be placed before it.
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