Breakdown of De passagiers wachten nog, totdat de trein aankomt.
de trein
the train
wachten
to wait
aankomen
to arrive
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
Questions & Answers about De passagiers wachten nog, totdat de trein aankomt.
How does nog fit into the time contrast particles lesson here?
Here, nog means "still," emphasizing that the waiting is an ongoing situation that hasn't ended yet. It contrasts with al (they are already waiting) or pas (they only just started waiting).
What is the difference between tot and totdat, and why must we use totdat here?
Totdat connects a main clause to a new subordinate clause that has its own subject and verb (like de trein aankomt). Tot is a preposition used directly before a noun or time, such as in tot de volgende halte (until the next stop). You cannot use tot to introduce a full clause with a verb.
Why is the verb aankomt pushed to the end and written as a single word?
Totdat introduces a subordinate clause, which always sends the conjugated verb to the end of the sentence. The verb is aankomen (to arrive), which is a separable verb. When a separable verb is forced to the end of a subordinate clause like this, its prefix (aan) and the verb (komt) are glued back together into one word.
Why is there a comma before totdat?
In Dutch, it is standard practice to place a comma between a main clause and a subordinate clause to clearly separate the two different parts of the sentence. While English often drops the comma before "until," Dutch prefers to keep it.