Breakdown of We stappen bij het station uit.
het station
the station
bij
at / near / by
uitstappen
to get off / to exit
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about We stappen bij het station uit.
Why is the word uit at the very end of the sentence?
Because it is part of the separable verb uitstappen (to get off or out). In a main clause in the present tense, the verb splits. The main conjugated part (stappen) takes the normal verb position right after the subject, and the prefix (uit) moves all the way to the end of the sentence.
How do we get the meaning getting off from stappen and uit?
By themselves, stappen means to step and uit means out. When you put them together as the separable verb uitstappen, it translates to getting out or getting off a vehicle, like a train or a bus.
Why do we use the preposition bij here to say at the station?
In Dutch, bij is commonly used to mean at or near a specific location or landmark, like a station or a bus stop. You might also hear op het station if someone is physically walking around the station, but bij is perfect for indicating the stop along the route where you get off.
Is station always a het word?
Yes, the word for station is a neuter noun, so it takes het. It is a good habit to memorize the article (de or het) whenever you learn a new Dutch noun so you will know how to describe it later on.