Breakdown of De dienstregeling klopt al niet meer.
niet
not
al
already
meer
more
kloppen
to be correct
de dienstregeling
the timetable
Questions & Answers about De dienstregeling klopt al niet meer.
How do al and niet meer work together in this sentence?
al means "already", and niet meer means "no longer" or "not anymore". When you put them together as al niet meer, it means "already no longer". It perfectly captures the frustration that something has ended or become invalid sooner than expected.
I learned that kloppen means "to knock". Why is it translated as "correct" here?
You are right that kloppen literally means "to knock" (like on a door). However, it is also a very common verb used to mean "to be correct", "to add up", or "to make sense". You will frequently hear Dutch speakers say Dat klopt to mean "That is correct."
The current lesson also teaches pas (only just / not until). Could I use pas here instead of al?
Yes, but it changes the perspective! If you say De dienstregeling klopt pas niet meer, it means the timetable has only just become incorrect (implying it was accurate until very recently). Using al emphasizes that it became wrong surprisingly or annoyingly fast.
Why are the words al niet meer grouped at the very end of the sentence?
In a simple Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb (klopt) takes the second position. Adverbs of time like al generally come before negations like niet, and niet meer acts as a fixed unit meaning "no longer". Since there are no other objects or extra information in this short sentence, this time-and-negation cluster just naturally falls at the end.
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