Breakdown of Ik ben gewoonlijk om zeven uur wakker.
ik
I
zijn
to be
zeven
seven
het uur
the hour / o'clock
om
at (time)
wakker
awake
gewoonlijk
usually
Questions & Answers about Ik ben gewoonlijk om zeven uur wakker.
Why does gewoonlijk come right after the verb ben?
In a simple main clause, adverbs of frequency like gewoonlijk (usually) are placed immediately after the conjugated verb. Since ben is the main working verb here, gewoonlijk steps right in behind it.
Is gewoonlijk related to the word gewoon?
Yes! Gewoon means "normal" or "common". Adding the -lijk ending turns it into the adverb gewoonlijk, meaning "usually" or "customarily". It follows the exact same placement rules as the other frequency words in this lesson, like vaak or soms.
Why is wakker at the very end of the sentence?
Dutch sentences like to place time expressions early on. The rule of thumb is that time details (like gewoonlijk and om zeven uur) come before the adjective that describes your state (like wakker). So you literally say "I am usually at seven o'clock awake".
Quick refresher: do we always use om for clock times?
Yes. Whenever you are talking about a specific time on the clock, you use the preposition om. It works exactly like "at" in English for telling time.
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