Word
Hij gaat drie keer per week naar de fysiotherapeut.
Meaning
He goes to the physiotherapist three times a week.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hij gaat drie keer per week naar de fysiotherapeut.
de week
the week
de keer
the time (occasion)
de fysiotherapeut
the physical therapist
per
per, each (in a rate)
Questions & Answers about Hij gaat drie keer per week naar de fysiotherapeut.
The lesson is about om de, but this sentence uses per week. Could we say om de week here?
No, because they mean different things. Per week describes how often something happens within a single week. Om de week means every other week. If you said drie keer om de week, it would mean three times every other week, which changes the meaning completely!
Why is it drie keer instead of the plural drie keren?
The word keer is an exception in Dutch. When it comes right after a specific number, it always stays in the singular form. You say één keer, drie keer, and even honderd keer.
Could I translate "three times a week" using in de instead of per?
Yes, you can! Drie keer in de week is just as common and correct as drie keer per week. Keep in mind that you cannot just translate the English a week directly and say drie keer een week; you must use either per or in de.
Why does the frequency drie keer per week come before the destination naar de fysiotherapeut?
This is because of the Dutch Time-Manner-Place rule for sentence structure. Expressions of time and frequency, like drie keer per week, almost always come before expressions of place or destination, like naar de fysiotherapeut.