Breakdown of Ons huwelijk begon toen mijn studie eindigde.
beginnen
to begin
mijn
my
ons
our
eindigen
to end
Questions & Answers about Ons huwelijk begon toen mijn studie eindigde.
Why is eindigde at the very end of the sentence?
The word toen (when) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause. In Dutch, dependent clauses use 'verb-final' word order, which pushes the conjugated verb (eindigde) all the way to the end of that clause.
Could I use wanneer instead of toen for 'when'?
No, you must use toen here. In Dutch, toen is used specifically for a single event or a continuous period in the past. Because the events in this sentence happened in the past (begon, eindigde), wanneer is incorrect. Wanneer is mostly used for questions or for 'when' in the present and future.
Why is it ons huwelijk and not onze huwelijk?
It depends on the 'gender' of the noun. Huwelijk is a het-word (het huwelijk). For singular het-words, the Dutch word for 'our' is ons. If the noun were a de-word or a plural noun, you would use onze.
The English translation says 'studies' (plural), but the Dutch sentence uses studie (singular). Why?
In Dutch, de studie (singular) is typically used to refer to your entire degree program or course of higher education as one single concept. While English speakers naturally say 'my studies' in this context, Dutch usually keeps it singular.