Breakdown of De klok staat op vijf uur.
vijf
five
op
on
staan
to stand
het uur
the hour / o'clock
de klok
the clock
Questions & Answers about De klok staat op vijf uur.
Why does the sentence use staat op instead of a word for 'says'?
In Dutch, clocks do not literally 'say' the time. Instead, they 'stand on' a time. The verb staan means 'to stand,' and combined with op (on/at), it is the natural way to describe what a clock, dial, or meter is set to or pointing at.
Does uur mean 'hour' or 'o'clock'?
It means both! In Dutch, you use uur to talk about the duration of an hour, but you also use it right after a number to mean 'o'clock.' So vijf uur simply translates to 'five o'clock.'
If op translates to 'at' here, do I always use op to say something happens 'at' a certain time?
No, this is a special case because of the verb staan. When you want to say that an event happens 'at' a specific time, you must use the preposition om. For example, 'I eat at five o'clock' would be 'Ik eet om vijf uur.' In this sentence, op is only used because the clock itself is physically 'set to' that number.
Why is the verb staat instead of staan?
The dictionary form (the infinitive) is staan (to stand). Because the subject de klok (the clock) is a singular 'it', we use the matching third-person singular form, which drops the 'n' to become staat.
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