Breakdown of Wij stappen door de plas en de modder heen.
en
and
wij
we
door
through
heen
to / towards (motion away)
Questions & Answers about Wij stappen door de plas en de modder heen.
Why is heen at the very end of the sentence?
It works together with door to form a circumposition (a two-part preposition). While door just means through, wrapping the nouns in door ... heen emphasizes the path and movement: we are going all the way through the puddle and the mud to get to the other side.
Does the heen apply to both the puddle and the mud?
Yes, it does. In Dutch, you can put a compound phrase like de plas en de modder (the puddle and the mud) right in the middle of a circumposition. You do not need to repeat it and say door de plas heen en door de modder heen.
Is it strictly necessary to include heen here?
No, you could just say Wij stappen door de plas en de modder. However, adding heen makes the sentence much more dynamic. It highlights the continuous journey of crossing the obstacles, rather than just stating the location where you happen to be stepping.
Does stappen mean taking a single step, or is it a general word for walking?
It can mean taking a single step, but here it implies walking at a steady, deliberate pace, similar to striding or hiking. Fun fact: in a completely different context, stappen is also the casual Dutch word for going out to clubs or bars!