Breakdown of Ze spelen vandaag een wedstrijd tegen elkaar.
een
a/an
vandaag
today
spelen
to play
de wedstrijd
the match / the game
Questions & Answers about Ze spelen vandaag een wedstrijd tegen elkaar.
How do we know Ze means "they" here and not "she"?
You can tell by looking at the verb. The verb spelen is plural. If ze meant "she", the verb would be singular: ze speelt (she plays).
Why is vandaag placed before een wedstrijd instead of at the end of the sentence?
In Dutch, time words like vandaag usually come as early as possible in the sentence, right after the main verb. It is very common to place time before the object (een wedstrijd), unlike in English where time often goes at the end.
How do we say "against each other"? Do we just put the preposition before elkaar?
Yes! Just like in English, you simply put the preposition right before elkaar. So tegen elkaar means "against each other" and met elkaar means "with each other". You don't need to combine them into special words.
Would elkaar change if "they" referred to a specific gender, like two women?
No, elkaar never changes. It always stays exactly the same, no matter the gender or how many people are involved, as long as they are doing the action to "each other".