Breakdown of Zodra we de deur openen, ontsnappen we met z'n allen!
met
with
de deur
the door
openen
to open
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
zodra
as soon as
z'n
his / its / one's (unstressed)
allen
all
ontsnappen
to escape
Questions & Answers about Zodra we de deur openen, ontsnappen we met z'n allen!
Why do we use z'n in met z'n allen when the subject is we?
The phrase met z'n allen is a fixed expression meaning "all of us together". Even though the subject is we, the chunk met z'n (short for met zijn) is fossilized. In modern Dutch, you use z'n for all subjects in this structure, whether it is I, you, we, or they!
Why is the word order ontsnappen we instead of we ontsnappen?
This happens because the sentence starts with a dependent clause (Zodra we de deur openen). When a sentence starts with a whole clause rather than the main subject, the main clause undergoes inversion. The verb (ontsnappen) must jump to the first position of the main clause, right before the subject (we).
Why is the verb openen at the very end of the first part of the sentence?
The word zodra (as soon as) acts as a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and kicks the working verb to the very end of that clause. That is why openen comes after the object, de deur.
The English translation says "we will all escape", but there is no future tense verb like zullen here. Why?
In Dutch, you can frequently use the simple present tense to talk about the future, especially when the time frame is already clear. The word zodra (as soon as) makes it obvious that this is a future event, so the present tense verbs openen and ontsnappen sound much more natural than adding zullen.
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