Breakdown of Toen we dezelfde sjaal kochten, moesten we erg lachen.
kopen
to buy
erg
very / really
lachen
to laugh
moeten
to have to, must
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
toen
when / then (in the past)
dezelfde
the same (de-words)
de sjaal
the scarf
Questions & Answers about Toen we dezelfde sjaal kochten, moesten we erg lachen.
Why is it dezelfde and not hetzelfde here?
You use dezelfde because sjaal is a de word (de sjaal). If the noun was a het word, like het shirt, you would use hetzelfde (hetzelfde shirt).
Why use toen for "when" instead of wanneer?
In Dutch, toen is used specifically for a single event or a specific period that happened in the past. If you are talking about the present, the future, or something that happened repeatedly in the past (meaning "whenever"), you use wanneer.
Why is the second part of the sentence moesten we instead of we moesten?
This is because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire first clause (Toen we dezelfde sjaal kochten) takes up the first position in the sentence. The verb of the main clause (moesten) must come immediately after it in the second position, so the subject (we) is pushed after the verb.
Why do we use erg here to mean "a lot"? Doesn't it mean "bad" or "terrible"?
While erg can mean "bad" or "terrible" as an adjective, it is very commonly used as an adverb to mean "very" or "a lot". The phrase erg lachen simply means to laugh hard or to laugh a lot.
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