Breakdown of Als het vriest, sta je bevend buiten.
buiten
outside
staan
to stand
het
it
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
als
if / when (condition)
vriezen
to freeze
beven
to tremble
Questions & Answers about Als het vriest, sta je bevend buiten.
How do we form the word bevend?
It comes from the verb beven (to tremble or shiver). To make the present participle (which often works like an "-ing" word in English), you just add -d to the full infinitive verb: beven + -d = bevend (trembling). In this sentence, it describes how you are standing.
Why doesn't bevend get an extra -e at the end?
Because it is being used as an adverb here, meaning it describes the verb sta (how you are standing). When a present participle is used as an adverb, it does not get an extra -e. If it were describing a noun directly, it would become an adjective and usually get the -e, for example: een bevende man (a trembling man).
Why is it sta je and not je staat in the second part of the sentence?
This happens because of inversion. The entire first block of the sentence, Als het vriest (When it freezes), takes up position one. In a Dutch main clause, the verb must be in position two. Therefore, the verb sta comes right after the comma, pushing the subject je to position three.
Does als mean "if" or "when" here?
It can be both! In Dutch, als is used for both "if" (a condition) and "when" (for present events or general truths). In this sentence, "When it freezes" and "If it freezes" make equal sense and translate to the exact same Dutch word.
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