Breakdown of Na achteruit te hebben gereden, moest ik remmen en aan het stuur draaien.
ik
I
en
and
hebben
to have
rijden
to drive
moeten
to have to, must
aan
on / at (attached to, edge)
te
to (infinitive marker)
draaien
to turn / to revolve
na
after (preposition)
het stuur
the steering wheel
remmen
to brake
achteruit
backwards / in reverse
Questions & Answers about Na achteruit te hebben gereden, moest ik remmen en aan het stuur draaien.
How does the structure of Na achteruit te hebben gereden work?
This phrase translates to "after having driven" or "after driving." To say "after doing something" in Dutch, we use na (after) + te hebben (or te zijn for certain verbs) + the past participle of the verb. Any extra information, like the direction achteruit (backwards), goes between na and the te-phrase.
Why is the word order moest ik instead of ik moest?
This is because of inversion. In a standard Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb must be in the second position (the V2 rule). Since the entire first phrase (Na achteruit te hebben gereden,) takes up the first position, the verb moest must come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject ik to the other side of the verb.
Why do we use the preposition aan in aan het stuur draaien?
In English you just "turn the steering wheel," but in Dutch, when you turn a wheel, knob, or dial, you physically "turn at" it. The fixed expression is draaien aan, which is why we say aan het stuur draaien.
Why are remmen and draaien placed where they are?
Both remmen (to brake) and draaien (to turn) are infinitive verbs that depend on the modal verb moest (had to). A modal verb pushes its accompanying infinitives to the end of the clause. Because en connects the two actions, moest ik applies to both: I had to [brake] and (I had to) [turn at the steering wheel].
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