Learn Dutch: Ontmoet de klant jullie straks? - Is the customer meeting you later?

Ontmoet de klant jullie straks?

Is the customer meeting you later?

Breakdown of Ontmoet de klant jullie straks?

Questions & Answers about Ontmoet de klant jullie straks?

How can I tell if jullie is the subject or the object here?

In this sentence, jullie is the object (the people being met by the customer). You can tell because the verb Ontmoet is singular, which means it must belong to the singular subject de klant (the customer). If jullie were the subject, the verb would have to be plural: Ontmoeten jullie de klant straks? (Are you meeting the customer later?). Note that jullie is spelled exactly the same whether it is a subject or an object!

Could I use u instead of jullie in this sentence?

Yes! If the customer is meeting just one person and you want to be formal, you would say Ontmoet de klant u straks?. By using jullie, we know the customer is meeting multiple people.

Why does the verb Ontmoet come at the very beginning of the sentence?

Because it is a yes/no question. Just like with most yes/no questions in Dutch, you take the normal statement (De klant ontmoet...) and swap the subject and the verb. This puts the verb at the start: Ontmoet de klant...?

What is the difference between straks and later?

The word straks specifically means later today, shortly, or soon. If you mean later in a more general sense (like next year, or at a totally undefined point in the future), you would use the Dutch word later.