Breakdown of Gedragen jullie je vanavond goed in het restaurant?
jullie
you (plural)
in
in
het restaurant
the restaurant
vanavond
tonight
Questions & Answers about Gedragen jullie je vanavond goed in het restaurant?
Why is je used as the reflexive pronoun here instead of jullie?
While the reflexive pronoun for jullie (you, plural) can technically be je or jullie, Dutch speakers almost always use je when it comes right after the subject. Saying jullie jullie sounds clunky, so gedragen jullie je is the standard, natural way to say it.
Does "behave" always need a reflexive pronoun in Dutch?
Yes! In English you can simply ask if someone is "behaving," but in Dutch, the verb is zich gedragen (literally "to behave oneself"). You must always include the reflexive pronoun that matches your subject.
Why are vanavond and goed placed before in het restaurant?
This sentence perfectly follows the standard Dutch word order rule known as "Time, Manner, Place". The time (vanavond) comes first, then the manner or how they are behaving (goed), and finally the place (in het restaurant).
Why isn't there a word for "Are" at the beginning of the sentence?
In English, we use helping verbs like "Are" or "Do" to ask questions ("Are you behaving?"). Dutch doesn't do this. To ask a yes/no question, you simply put the verb first. So, jullie gedragen je (you behave yourselves) becomes gedragen jullie je? (are you behaving yourselves?).