Breakdown of We moeten het voertuig nu verlaten.
nu
now
moeten
to have to, must
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
verlaten
to leave / to abandon (a place or person)
het voertuig
the vehicle
Questions & Answers about We moeten het voertuig nu verlaten.
Why use verlaten here instead of vertrekken?
Verlaten is a transitive verb, meaning it needs a direct object — you have to leave something or somewhere (in this case, het voertuig). It often translates as 'to abandon' or 'to leave behind'. Vertrekken, on the other hand, just means 'to depart' and cannot take a direct object.
Why does verlaten go at the very end of the sentence?
This is the standard Dutch word order when using a modal verb. The conjugated modal verb moeten (must) takes the second position in the sentence, which pushes the main action verb (verlaten) all the way to the end.
What does the -tuig part of voertuig mean?
The word tuig generally refers to gear, rigging, or apparatus. It is commonly used as a suffix for types of transport. Just as a vliegtuig (airplane) is literally 'flying gear', a voertuig is 'driving gear' — a generic word for any land vehicle.
Can I put nu at the end of the sentence, like we do in English?
No, you cannot say 'We moeten het voertuig verlaten nu'. In Dutch, the conjugated verb and the infinitive verb at the end of the clause act like brackets. Extra information like time (nu) must stay inside those verbal brackets, not outside them.
Learn We moeten het voertuig nu verlaten and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free