Breakdown of Nu we een oppas hebben, kunnen we ontspannen.
een
a/an
hebben
to have
kunnen
can
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
ontspannen
to relax
nu
now that
de oppas
the babysitter
Questions & Answers about Nu we een oppas hebben, kunnen we ontspannen.
Why is the verb hebben at the very end of the first clause?
In this sentence, nu isn't just the adverb 'now'; it functions as a subordinating conjunction meaning 'now that'. Subordinating conjunctions always push the conjugated verb (in this case, hebben) to the end of their clause.
Why does the second part say kunnen we instead of we kunnen?
Does nu always push the verb to the end of the clause?
No! Most of the time, nu is just a regular adverb meaning 'now', and it doesn't change the word order (for example: We hebben nu een oppas). It only pushes the verb to the end when it connects two clauses and means 'now that'.
Is oppas a noun or a verb here?
Een oppas is a noun referring to the person—the babysitter or nanny. If you want to talk about the action of babysitting, you use the verb oppassen.
Why is ontspannen at the very end of the sentence?
Ontspannen (to relax) is an infinitive verb being used with the modal verb kunnen (can / are able to). Even though the main clause has an inverted word order (kunnen we), the rule for modal verbs stays the same: the full infinitive gets sent to the very end of the sentence.
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