Word
Voor het hoofdgerecht neem ik het liefst friet.
Meaning
For the main course I like having fries best.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Voor het hoofdgerecht neem ik het liefst friet.
ik
I
nemen
to take (general, abstract, e.g., transport, medicine)
voor
for (on behalf of)
het hoofdgerecht
the main course
Questions & Answers about Voor het hoofdgerecht neem ik het liefst friet.
How does het liefst translate to 'like having ... best'?
het liefst is the highest level (superlative) of graag. While graag means you like doing something, and liever means you prefer to do it, het liefst means you like doing it most of all. Combined with the verb neem, it literally means 'I most like to take'.
Why is the word order neem ik instead of ik neem?
Because the sentence starts with the phrase Voor het hoofdgerecht (For the main course). In Dutch, the main conjugated verb must always stay in the second position of the sentence. When you start with anything other than the subject, the subject (ik) has to swap places and jump right behind the verb (neem). This is called inversion.
Why use neem instead of the Dutch word for 'have' here?
In English you commonly say 'I will have the fries', but in Dutch, when you are ordering or choosing food and drinks, you use the verb nemen (to take). If you used hebben (to have) here, it would sound like you are simply declaring that you already possess some fries!
How is the word hoofdgerecht formed?