Breakdown of Ik zet mijn bril af voordat ik ga slapen.
ik
I
slapen
to sleep
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
mijn
my
de bril
the glasses
voordat
before
afzetten
to take off (glasses, hat)
Questions & Answers about Ik zet mijn bril af voordat ik ga slapen.
Why is the word af at the end of the first clause?
It comes from the separable verb afzetten, which means "to take off" (like a hat or glasses). In a normal main clause, the separable prefix (af) gets pushed to the end of that clause, which is why we get Ik zet mijn bril af.
The English translation says "my glasses", but bril isn't plural. Why?
In Dutch, a pair of glasses is treated as a singular object: een bril. If you used the plural brillen, it would mean you are wearing and taking off multiple pairs of glasses at the same time!
Could I just use voor instead of voordat here?
Strictly speaking, voordat is a conjunction used to introduce a new clause with its own subject and verb (like ik ga slapen). voor is a preposition used before a noun (like voor de maaltijd - before the meal). However, in everyday spoken Dutch, it's very common to drop the -dat and just say voor ik ga slapen.
Why are the verbs ga slapen grouped together at the very end of the sentence?
The word voordat introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, all verbs are pushed to the end. Here, the conjugated verb ga and the infinitive slapen form a verb cluster at the end of the clause.
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