Breakdown of Zij vragen elkaar waar de dader nu is.
zijn
to be
zij
they
nu
now
waar
where
vragen
to ask
elkaar
each other
de dader
the perpetrator
Questions & Answers about Zij vragen elkaar waar de dader nu is.
Why is the verb is at the very end of the sentence?
The second half of the sentence (waar de dader nu is) is an indirect question. Indirect questions use the same word order as subordinate clauses, meaning the verb gets pushed all the way to the end.
How would the word order change if we turned the second half into a regular, direct question?
If you asked it directly, the verb would come right after the question word: Waar is de dader nu? (Where is the perpetrator now?). Because it is an indirect question here, the verb is has to wait until after the subject and the time word.
What does elkaar mean in this sentence?
Elkaar translates to 'each other'. It is used when an action goes both ways between people, so zij vragen elkaar simply means 'they ask each other'.
Is there a trick to remembering the word dader (perpetrator)?
Yes! Dader comes from the noun daad (deed), which is related to the verb doen (to do). You can think of a dader literally as the 'doer' of a crime.
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