Breakdown of Ik blijf roeren totdat de soep kookt.
ik
I
de soep
the soup
blijven
to stay
totdat
until (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Ik blijf roeren totdat de soep kookt.
Why does the sentence use totdat instead of just tot?
Both tot and totdat mean until. You can often use them interchangeably to connect two clauses. However, totdat is strictly used to introduce a new clause with its own subject and verb, like de soep kookt. Tot can do this too, but it is also used simply before a noun or time expression, like in tot morgen (until tomorrow).
Does totdat change the word order here?
Yes. Because totdat is a subordinating conjunction, the verb in its part of the sentence must be pushed to the very end. Here, kookt is the only word in that clause besides the subject, so it sits at the end naturally. If you added more details, the verb would still be last, for example: totdat de soep in de pan kookt (until the soup in the pan boils).
How does blijf roeren mean keep stirring?
In Dutch, using the verb blijven (to stay or remain) followed immediately by another verb in its full dictionary form (the infinitive) is the standard way to express that you keep doing an action. So ik blijf roeren literally means I stay stirring, which is how Dutch speakers say I keep stirring.
Does kookt mean boils or cooks?