Breakdown of We hebben een match, zodat we met elkaar kunnen chatten.
een
a/an
hebben
to have
met
with
kunnen
can
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
elkaar
each other
zodat
so that
de match
the match
chatten
to chat (online)
Questions & Answers about We hebben een match, zodat we met elkaar kunnen chatten.
How do prepositions work with elkaar? Could I combine them into a single word?
Elkaar means "each other". When you want to say "with each other", you just put the preposition directly in front of it: met elkaar. Unlike the pronoun er (which fuses with prepositions into words like ermee), elkaar stays separate and the preposition doesn't change form.
Why are the verbs kunnen and chatten pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word zodat (so that) introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, subordinate clauses push all verbs to the end of the phrase. If it were a main clause, you would say we kunnen met elkaar chatten, but because of zodat, the verbs migrate to the end: zodat we met elkaar kunnen chatten.
Could I swap the order of the two verbs at the end and say chatten kunnen?
Yes! At the end of a subordinate clause with two verbs, you can usually choose the order. You can put the helper verb first (kunnen chatten) or the main verb first (chatten kunnen). Both are completely correct, although kunnen chatten is slightly more common in spoken Dutch.
Chatten is an English loanword. Does it follow normal Dutch verb rules?
Yes, Dutch borrows many English tech words but treats them like regular Dutch verbs. The stem is chat, and the infinitive gets -en to become chatten. It also follows standard past tense rules, so "we have chatted" translates perfectly to we hebben gechat.
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