Questions & Answers about Ik kleed me snel aan.
Why is there a me in this sentence when the English translation does not say 'myself'?
In Dutch, the verb for 'to get dressed' is zich aankleden, which literally means 'to dress oneself'. Because the subject is ik (I), you must use the matching reflexive pronoun me (myself).
Why is the word aan at the very end of the sentence?
The full dictionary verb is aankleden (to get dressed). It is a separable verb. In a normal main sentence, the prefix aan breaks off and moves all the way to the end, while the main verb kleed stays right next to the subject.
Can I put the adverb at the end and say Ik kleed me aan snel?
No, that word order is incorrect. Because aan is the separated part of the verb, it has to go at the very end of the sentence. Adverbs like snel (quickly) must come before it.
How would this sentence change if I wanted to say 'He gets dressed quickly'?
You would say Hij kleedt zich snel aan. The verb changes to kleedt to match hij, and the reflexive pronoun changes from me (myself) to zich (himself).
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