Breakdown of We moeten morgen op ons kleinkind oppassen.
op
on
morgen
tomorrow
ons
our
moeten
to have to, must
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
het kleinkind
the grandchild
oppassen
to babysit / look after
Questions & Answers about We moeten morgen op ons kleinkind oppassen.
Why is the word op used before ons kleinkind?
The verb oppassen (to babysit or watch) is paired with the fixed preposition op when you specify who or what you are watching over. It works a bit like saying to keep an eye on in English.
Why is it ons kleinkind and not onze kleinkind?
Oppassen is a separable verb, so why isn't it split up here?
You are right that oppassen is separable (op + passen), but in this sentence, it is paired with the modal verb moeten (have to). The modal verb takes the second position, pushing the main verb to the very end of the clause in its full, unsplit infinitive form.
If I take out moeten, how does the sentence change?
If you remove moeten, oppassen becomes the main conjugated verb and has to split. The sentence would become: We passen morgen op ons kleinkind op. Notice how the prefix op goes to the very end, while the preposition op stays right in front of ons kleinkind.
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