Breakdown of Zodra we het symbool vinden, typen we met z'n drieën de code in.
drie
three
met
with
vinden
to find
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Zodra we het symbool vinden, typen we met z'n drieën de code in.
Why does the phrase use z'n (which usually means "his") if the subject is we?
In Dutch, the phrase met z'n... is a fixed construction used to say "the [number] of [pronoun]". Even though z'n originally comes from zijn (his), it has become frozen in this expression. So whether you are saying "the three of us" (we ... met z'n drieën), "the three of them" (ze ... met z'n drieën), or "the three of you" (jullie ... met z'n drieën), the z'n always stays exactly the same.
Why is drieën spelled with two dots over the 'e'?
When you add the plural -en ending to a number ending in a vowel, like drie, Dutch uses a trema (the two dots) to show where a new syllable starts. Without it, drieen would look like one long, confusing vowel sound. The dots on drieën simply tell you to pronounce it as two distinct syllables: "drie-en".
Why is the word order typen we instead of we typen in the second half of the sentence?
This happens because of the Dutch "verb second" rule. The entire first part of the sentence (Zodra we het symbool vinden) counts as the first block of information. Because the main verb must occupy the second position, typen is placed right after the comma, which forces the subject we to move right behind it.
Why is the word in sitting all by itself at the end of the sentence?