Breakdown of We blijven naar een schuilplaats zoeken.
een
a/an
naar
to
blijven
to stay
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
de schuilplaats
the shelter (hiding place, refuge)
zoeken naar
to search for
Questions & Answers about We blijven naar een schuilplaats zoeken.
Why is blijven used here to mean "keep"?
In Dutch, the verb blijven (which literally means "to stay" or "to remain") is used together with an infinitive verb at the end of the sentence to show that an action continues. Therefore, we blijven ... zoeken translates to "we keep searching". You cannot use a direct translation of the English word "keep" (like houden) for this continuous action.
Why are the verbs blijven and zoeken separated from each other?
This is due to the standard Dutch word order rule often called the sentence bracket. The conjugated verb (blijven) takes the second position in the main clause, while the infinitive verb (zoeken) gets pushed all the way to the end of the sentence. The prepositional phrase (naar een schuilplaats) sits in the middle between them.
Why do we use naar with zoeken?
Just like in English where you "search for" something, Dutch uses the fixed preposition combination zoeken naar. While you can sometimes leave out the preposition and say een schuilplaats zoeken (closer to "to seek a shelter"), using naar emphasizes the active process of looking around for it.
How is the word schuilplaats formed?
It is a compound noun made up of the verb schuilen (to take shelter or to hide from the weather or danger) and the noun plaats (place). Literally, it means a "shelter place" or "hiding place".
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