Breakdown of Weten jullie dat hij dit spel vroeger had?
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
jullie
you (plural)
hebben
to have
dit
this (neuter)
weten
to know (a fact)
dat
that (conjunction)
vroeger
in the past
het spel
the game (play, board game)
Questions & Answers about Weten jullie dat hij dit spel vroeger had?
Why is the verb had at the very end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause (a dependent part of the sentence). A major rule in Dutch is that words like dat push the conjugated verb—in this case, the past tense verb had—to the very end of that clause.
The lesson is about the past tense of hebben. Why do we use had here instead of hadden?
The verb in the second part of the sentence belongs to the subject hij (he). For all singular subjects (ik, jij, hij, zij, het), the past tense of hebben is had. If the subject was plural, like wij (we) or zij (they), it would be hadden.
Could I say Kennen jullie instead of Weten jullie?
No, because you are asking if they know a fact. In Dutch, weten is used for knowing facts or information, and is almost always the verb you use before a dat (that) clause. Kennen is used for being familiar with a person, a place, or a specific object.
How does the word vroeger change the meaning of the past tense here?
Vroeger literally translates to "earlier" or "in the past." Dutch often uses it alongside a past tense verb to express the English idea of "used to." So combining it with the verb (vroeger had) is the natural way to say he "used to have" this game.
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