Questions & Answers about Wij eten bijna nooit vlees.
Why does 'bijna nooit' come before 'vlees'?
In Dutch, adverbs of time and frequency (like nooit) generally come after the main verb (eten). They also come before the direct object if that object is a general, uncountable thing without an article like 'the' or 'a'. Because vlees (meat) is general here, the frequency phrase bijna nooit goes right before it.
How does the word 'bijna' work in this sentence?
Bijna means 'almost'. It modifies the adverb of frequency nooit to create the phrase 'almost never'. Just like in English, the modifier stays directly in front of the word it describes and they act as a single unit.
Why isn't there a word for 'not' (like 'niet') in this sentence?
The word nooit (never) already makes the sentence negative. Standard Dutch does not use double negatives, so you do not need to add niet when you already have a negative word like nooit.
If I start the sentence with 'Bijna nooit', does the word order change?
Yes! If you put the frequency adverbs at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, the verb and subject must swap places. This is a common rule called inversion. The sentence would become: Bijna nooit eten wij vlees.