Word
Hij pakt de spijker en slaat erop.
Meaning
He takes the nail and hits it.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hij pakt de spijker en slaat erop.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
en
and
pakken
to take
de spijker
the nail
Questions & Answers about Hij pakt de spijker en slaat erop.
Why does the sentence use erop instead of just slaat het to mean "hits it"?
In Dutch, you don't usually just "hit" a nail; you strike on it. The verb slaan (to hit) is paired with the preposition op (on). However, a strict rule in Dutch is that you cannot put a preposition directly in front of het (it). Instead of saying op het, Dutch replaces het with er and glues the words together to make erop (literally "there-on").
Can erop be split into two separate words?
Yes! In this sentence, erop is at the end, so it stays together as one word. But if you added more details to the action—like hitting it hard (hard)—the words er and op would typically split to make room for that detail: ...en slaat er hard op.
Could I use neemt instead of pakt for "takes" here?
You could, but pakken is a much better fit for this sentence. In Dutch, pakken is the go-to word when you are physically grabbing, grabbing hold of, or picking something up with your hands (like a nail or a tool). Nemen is used more for abstract things, like taking your time, or taking a mode of transport.