Breakdown of Laten we tijdens de toespraak de spandoeken vasthouden.
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
laten
to let (laten we ... = let's ...)
tijdens
during
het spandoek
the banner
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).