Breakdown of Laten we tijdens de toespraak de spandoeken vasthouden.
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
laten
to let (also "let's ...")
tijdens
during
het spandoek
the banner
vasthouden
to hold
de toespraak
the speech
Questions & Answers about Laten we tijdens de toespraak de spandoeken vasthouden.
How does the "laten we" structure affect the verb in this sentence?
Laten we is used to say "Let's". Just like with modal verbs, it pushes the main action verb—in this case vasthouden (to hold)—all the way to the end of the sentence in its full dictionary form (the infinitive).
Vasthouden is a separable verb. Why isn't it split up here?
Because it sits at the end of the sentence as a full infinitive. Separable verbs only split when they are the main conjugated verb in the sentence. If you just said "We hold the banners", you would split it: We houden de spandoeken vast. But because laten we takes charge of the sentence, vasthouden stays glued together.
What does spandoeken literally mean?
It is a combination of the verb spannen (to stretch or tighten) and the noun het doek (the cloth or canvas). So a spandoek is a stretched cloth, which makes perfect sense for a protest banner!
Why do we use de for spandoeken if doek is a het word?
Because spandoeken is plural. In Dutch, all plural nouns use de, even if their singular form uses het (so it is het spandoek, but de spandoeken).
Could I say "Laten we de spandoeken tijdens de toespraak vasthouden"?
Yes, you can. The standard Dutch word order rule is "Time, Manner, Place", which is why the time phrase (tijdens de toespraak) usually comes before the direct object (de spandoeken). However, swapping them is perfectly fine if you want to emphasize the banners rather than the time.
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