Word
Nu rijdt u rechtdoor, daarna slaat u af.
Meaning
Now you drive straight ahead, then you turn.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Nu rijdt u rechtdoor, daarna slaat u af.
u
you (formal)
nu
now
daarna
after that
rijden
to drive
Questions & Answers about Nu rijdt u rechtdoor, daarna slaat u af.
Why is it rijdt u and slaat u instead of u rijdt and u slaat?
Because both parts of the sentence start with time words (Nu and daarna). In Dutch, if you start a clause with anything other than the subject, the verb and the subject swap places. This is called inversion.
Where does the word af at the end of the sentence come from?
It is part of the separable verb afslaan, which means "to turn" (like when driving). In a normal main clause, the verb splits: the main part (slaat) stays in the standard verb position, while the prefix (af) moves to the very end of the clause.
This lesson is about heen and naartoe. Why don't we add one of them here to show direction?
You use words like heen or naartoe when you are moving towards a specific destination (like a city or a building). Rechtdoor (straight ahead) just describes the path of your movement, not a destination you arrive at, so you don't need to add a destination word like heen.
Why does the verb for turning (slaat) look like the verb for hitting?
The base verb slaan indeed means "to hit" or "to strike". However, Dutch uses it as the core of the separable verb afslaan, which takes on the completely different meaning of "to turn" or "to take an exit". You can think of it as striking out in a new direction on the road!