Breakdown of Ik werkte gisteren aan mijn eigen zakenplan.
ik
I
werken
to work
mijn
my
gisteren
yesterday
aan
on / at (attached to, edge)
eigen
own
het zakenplan
the business plan
Questions & Answers about Ik werkte gisteren aan mijn eigen zakenplan.
Why doesn't eigen get an -e ending here? Usually adjectives get an -e after mijn.
You're right that adjectives generally get an -e ending after mijn. However, eigen (meaning "own") is a special exception. It never gets an -e ending when used after a possessive pronoun, regardless of whether the noun is a de or het word. It is always mijn eigen, zijn eigen, etc.
Why is the preposition aan used here instead of op for "on"?
In Dutch, "working on" a project, task, or plan translates to werken aan. This is a fixed verb-preposition combination you just have to memorize. You would only use werken op if you were physically located on top of something while working (like op het dak, on the roof)!
Why does gisteren appear in the middle of the sentence instead of at the end?
Dutch is much stricter than English about placing time words early in the sentence. Expressions of time like gisteren belong directly after the conjugated verb (and the subject). The prepositional object (aan mijn eigen zakenplan) is pushed to the end of the sentence.
How is the word zakenplan formed?
It is a compound noun made from zaken and plan. Zaken is the plural of de zaak, which means "the business", "the matter", or "the affair". Dutch often uses plural nouns as the first part of a compound word, so a business plan is literally an "affairs plan".
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