Breakdown of Aanstaande vrijdag voelen ze de spanning tijdens de première.
vrijdag
Friday
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
voelen
to feel (something) / to seem/feel (a certain way)
tijdens
during
Questions & Answers about Aanstaande vrijdag voelen ze de spanning tijdens de première.
Why is the verb in the present tense (voelen) if the action happens in the future?
In Dutch, it is very common to use the present tense for future events as long as there is a word or phrase that tells us when it happens. Here, the time phrase Aanstaande vrijdag (this coming Friday) does that job, so you do not need a future helper verb like zullen.
Why does the verb come before the subject (voelen ze) in this sentence?
This is because of inversion. In a standard Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb must be in the second position. Since this sentence starts with the time phrase Aanstaande vrijdag in position one, the verb voelen must come next in position two, followed directly by the subject ze.
Could I use volgende vrijdag instead of Aanstaande vrijdag?
Yes, but aanstaande specifically means this coming, referring to the very next Friday. The word volgende means next and is sometimes used by Dutch speakers to mean the Friday of next week rather than this week, which can cause confusion. Using Aanstaande vrijdag makes your timing perfectly clear.
How do we know ze means they instead of she in this sentence?
You can tell by looking at the verb. The verb voelen is the plural form. If ze meant she in this sentence, the verb would take the singular form: voelt.