Breakdown of De golven zijn hoog, wij gaan naar binnen.
zijn
to be
wij
we
naar
to
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
Questions & Answers about De golven zijn hoog, wij gaan naar binnen.
Why do we use naar binnen here instead of just binnen?
The word binnen by itself describes a static location (being inside). Because this sentence involves movement toward a destination (gaan, to go), you need the directional preposition naar to mean into or to the inside. If you said wij gaan binnen, it would sound like you are already inside and walking around in there.
Can I write naar binnen as a single word?
Yes! When a preposition of direction (like naar) is used with a spatial adverb (like binnen, buiten, or boven), they are often written together as a single word: naarbinnen. Both naar binnen and naarbinnen are correct and mean the exact same thing.
What is the singular form of golven and why does the spelling change?
The singular word for wave is golf. In Dutch, when a word ends in -f and you add the plural -en ending, the f almost always changes to a v to make the pronunciation smoother. You've likely seen this same rule with -s changing to -z (for example, huis becomes huizen).
Why doesn't the word order invert to gaan wij after the comma?