Questions & Answers about Wij ontbijten om acht uur.
Why is there no word for "eat" or "have" in this sentence?
In Dutch, ontbijten is a verb all on its own, meaning "to eat breakfast" or "to have breakfast." You don't need to add an extra verb like you do in English!
Does om always mean "at" for time?
Yes, when talking about specific clock times, you always use om (like om acht uur). For days of the week, you would use op instead (like op maandag).
How would I specify that this happens in the morning using 's morgens?
You would place the general time of day right after the verb. To say "We eat breakfast in the morning at eight o'clock", you would say: Wij ontbijten 's morgens om acht uur.
How does the word order change if I start the sentence with the time?
If you move Om acht uur to the front of the sentence to emphasize the time, the verb and subject have to swap places. The sentence becomes: Om acht uur ontbijten wij.