Breakdown of Ik heb dit scherm gisteren moeten aanschaffen. Desondanks is het nu al kapot.
ik
I
zijn
to be
nu
now
hebben
to have
dit
this (neuter)
het
it
moeten
to have to, must
gisteren
yesterday
al
already
kapot
broken
het scherm
the screen
aanschaffen
to purchase
desondanks
nevertheless
Questions & Answers about Ik heb dit scherm gisteren moeten aanschaffen. Desondanks is het nu al kapot.
Why is the word order is het instead of het is in the second sentence?
Because the sentence starts with desondanks (nevertheless), which is an adverb. In Dutch main clauses, the verb must always be in the second position (the V2 rule). Since desondanks takes the first spot, the conjugated verb is must take the second spot, pushing the subject het into the third spot.
Why is it moeten aanschaffen instead of using a past participle for the modal verb?
This is the double infinitive rule. In the present perfect tense, when a modal verb like moeten (must/have to) is combined with another main verb (aanschaffen), you do not use the past participle of the modal. Instead, you put both verbs in their full infinitive form at the very end of the sentence.
Why does gisteren go before the verbs moeten aanschaffen instead of at the end of the sentence?
In a Dutch main clause, all verbs except the primary conjugated one (heb) get pushed to the very end of the sentence. Therefore, time indicators like gisteren (yesterday) must be placed before this final cluster of verbs.
What does the combination nu al add to the sentence?
Nu al translates to already (literally: already now). You could just use al (already), making it Desondanks is het al kapot, but using nu al emphasizes the speaker's frustration about exactly how quickly the screen broke.
Why do we use dit for this instead of deze?
Because scherm (screen) is a neuter noun (het scherm). For singular het words, the word for this is dit. If it were a de word, you would use deze.
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