Breakdown of Nadat de oorlog eindigde, werden wij bevrijd.
wij
we
eindigen
to end
worden
to become
nadat
after
de oorlog
the war
bevrijden
to liberate
Questions & Answers about Nadat de oorlog eindigde, werden wij bevrijd.
Why do we use werden here instead of waren for "were"?
In English, we form the passive voice with "to be" (we were liberated). In Dutch, the standard passive voice for an action is formed with the verb worden (literally: to become). Because this action happened in the past, we use the simple past plural form of worden, which is werden. You will only use forms of zijn (like waren) for the passive voice when describing a completed state (e.g., we had been liberated).
Why does the second part say werden wij instead of wij werden?
Why is the verb eindigde at the end of the first clause?
The word nadat (after) is a subordinating conjunction. Words like nadat, omdat, and dat introduce a dependent subclause. In Dutch, this forces the conjugated verb (eindigde) to move to the very end of that specific clause.
How do I know whether the past participle bevrijd ends in a -d or a -t?
You can use the 't kofschip rule. The infinitive is bevrijden. If you remove the -en, the stem ends in a d. Because d is a voiced consonant and is not found in the phrase 't kofschip, the past participle takes a -d. Since the stem already ends in a d, no extra letter is added and it simply stays bevrijd.
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