Breakdown of In de zomer kamperen ze bij het strand.
in
in
het strand
the beach
bij
at / near / by
de zomer
the summer
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
kamperen
to camp
Questions & Answers about In de zomer kamperen ze bij het strand.
Why does the Dutch sentence use de before zomer when the English translation just says 'In summer'?
In Dutch, seasons usually take the definite article de. So, you literally say 'in the summer' (in de zomer). This rule applies to all seasons: in de lente, in de herfst, and in de winter.
Why is the word order kamperen ze instead of ze kamperen?
This happens because of the verb-second rule. The sentence starts with the time phrase In de zomer, which takes up the first position. The verb kamperen must come in the second position, pushing the subject ze to the spot right after it.
Could I use op or aan instead of bij het strand?
Yes, but the meaning changes slightly. bij het strand means near or close to the beach, which makes sense for a campsite. If you say op het strand, it means directly on the sand. aan het strand means right on the beachfront or coast.
How do we know ze means 'they' and not 'she' in this sentence?
We can tell by looking at the verb. The verb kamperen is the plural form. If ze meant 'she' here, the verb would be in the singular form: In de zomer kampeert ze bij het strand.
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