Breakdown of Op zaterdag zijn wij ook vrij.
zijn
to be
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
wij
we
op
on
zaterdag
Saturday
vrij
free / off (work)
Questions & Answers about Op zaterdag zijn wij ook vrij.
Why do we use op before the day of the week?
Just like in English where we say "on Saturday", Dutch uses the preposition op with days of the week. Also, notice that days of the week like zaterdag are not capitalized in Dutch, unlike in English!
Why is the word order zijn wij instead of wij zijn?
Because the sentence starts with the time phrase Op zaterdag, the verb and subject trade places. In Dutch, the main verb almost always insists on being in the second position of the sentence. Since Op zaterdag takes up the first spot, the verb zijn comes second, and the subject wij is pushed to the third spot.
Does vrij mean "costs zero money" or "having time off"?
In this context, vrij zijn means having time off from work or school. The word vrij can occasionally mean "costs zero money" (like a free entrance), but the word gratis is much more common for "free of charge".
Could I start this sentence with Wij instead?
Yes, you could absolutely say Wij zijn op zaterdag ook vrij. Starting with Op zaterdag just puts a little extra emphasis on the day itself.
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