Breakdown of We laden de vrachtwagen in zodra hij aankomt.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
aankomen
to arrive
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
zodra
as soon as
de vrachtwagen
the truck
inladen
to load (into a vehicle)
Questions & Answers about We laden de vrachtwagen in zodra hij aankomt.
How does zodra affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?
Zodra (as soon as) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause, which forces all verbs to the very end of that clause. That is why aankomt is placed at the end.
Why is the separable verb inladen split, but aankomen is written as one word (aankomt)?
This sentence perfectly shows the difference between a main clause and a subordinate clause! In the main clause, the conjugated part of a separable verb goes in the second position, and its prefix goes to the end (We laden ... in). In the subordinate clause (after zodra), the verb is pushed to the end. When a separable verb is pushed to the end of a clause, its prefix and verb glue back together into one word (aankomt).
Why do we use hij (he) to refer to a truck (it)?
Nouns that use the article de are grammatically masculine or feminine. When pointing back to a de-word like de vrachtwagen, Dutch typically uses hij (he) rather than het (it), even for inanimate objects. You only use het to point back to het-words.
The sentence uses the present tense, but implies a future action. Is this normal in Dutch?
Yes! Just like in English, Dutch frequently uses the present tense to talk about things that are about to happen, especially after time words like zodra. You do not need to use the future tense verb zullen here.
Learn We laden de vrachtwagen in zodra hij aankomt and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free