Breakdown of De cursus is vanaf maandag.
maandag
Monday
de cursus
the course
vanaf
from, as of (a starting point)
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Questions & Answers about De cursus is vanaf maandag.
Why does this sentence use vanaf instead of just van?
While van means "from," it is usually paired with tot (until) to show a set time frame, like van maandag tot vrijdag. When you only want to say that something starts at a certain time and continues onwards without a specific end point, you use vanaf (starting from).
Could I say De cursus is van maandag to mean the same thing?
No, to a Dutch speaker, using van for time usually makes them expect to hear the word tot. Without an end time, it sounds incomplete. Always use vanaf when you mean "starting from" without giving an end point.
The translation says "runs," but the Dutch word is just is. Is that right?
Yes! While English often uses verbs like "runs," "starts," or "takes place" for scheduled events, Dutch frequently just uses the verb zijn (to be). Literally this says "The course is from Monday," which translates naturally to "The course runs from Monday."
Why is maandag written with a lowercase letter?
Unlike in English, Dutch does not capitalize days of the week, months, or seasons. They only get a capital letter if they happen to be the very first word in a sentence.