Breakdown of Nu de oma oppast, kunnen de ouders uitslapen.
de ouders
the parents
kunnen
can
uitslapen
to sleep in
de oma
the grandma
oppassen
to babysit / look after
nu
now that
Questions & Answers about Nu de oma oppast, kunnen de ouders uitslapen.
Wait, I thought nu just meant "now". Why does it translate to "now that" here?
While nu is usually an adverb meaning "now" (as in ik ga nu), it also works as a subordinating conjunction meaning "now that". You can tell it is acting as a conjunction here because it introduces a dependent clause and pushes the verb (oppast) all the way to the end of that clause.
Since oppassen (to babysit) is a separable verb, shouldn't it be split into past ... op?
In a standard main clause, it would indeed split (like de oma past op). However, because nu makes this a subordinate clause, the verb is sent to the end. When a conjugated separable verb is pushed to the end of a clause like this, its two parts reunite into a single word: oppast.
Why is the word order inverted to kunnen de ouders in the second half of the sentence?
Why does uitslapen stay as one full word at the very end of the sentence?
Uitslapen (to sleep in) is another separable verb. It stays together in its full dictionary form (the infinitive) because it is paired with the modal verb kunnen (can/are able to). Modal verbs in a main clause always send their accompanying infinitive to the very end.
Learn Nu de oma oppast, kunnen de ouders uitslapen 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