Breakdown of Kneed de klei stevig voordat je begint.
beginnen
to begin
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
voordat
before
de klei
the clay
kneden
to knead
stevig
firm
Questions & Answers about Kneed de klei stevig voordat je begint.
Why doesn't kneed end in a -t here?
Because it is a command (the imperative form). To give a direct command in Dutch, you generally use the simple stem of the verb. The stem of kneden (to knead) is kneed.
Why is the verb begint at the very end of the sentence?
Because of the word voordat (before). Just like the word zoals (as/like) from this lesson, voordat is a subordinating conjunction. These connecting words start a dependent clause and push the verb in that clause all the way to the end.
Could I just say voor je begint instead of voordat je begint?
In casual spoken Dutch you will often hear voor used this way, but strictly speaking, voor is a preposition used before nouns (like voor het eten - before dinner). When introducing a full clause with a subject and a verb, voordat is the proper conjunction to use.
How do you pronounce the ending of stevig?
The suffix -ig is pronounced with a dull "uh" sound (a schwa), followed by a soft "g". So stevig sounds roughly like "STAY-vuhg", not "STAY-vig".
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