Breakdown of De ouders, wier kinderen in de tuin zitten te spelen, drinken koffie.
het kind
the child
drinken
to drink
in
in
spelen
to play
zitten
to sit
de koffie
the coffee
de ouders
the parents
de tuin
the garden
te
to (infinitive marker)
wier
whose (feminine/plural)
zitten te
to be ...-ing (seated)
Questions & Answers about De ouders, wier kinderen in de tuin zitten te spelen, drinken koffie.
Why is wier used here instead of wiens?
Wier is the formal relative pronoun for "whose" when referring back to a plural or feminine noun. Because De ouders is plural, it requires wier. If the noun it referred back to was masculine or neuter singular, you would use wiens.
How would you say this in everyday, informal Dutch?
In normal spoken Dutch, the formal wier is rarely used. People would instead use van wie de (literally "of whom the"). The sentence would be: De ouders, van wie de kinderen in de tuin zitten te spelen, drinken koffie.
Why are we using zitten te spelen rather than just spelen?
This is a common way to express continuous action in Dutch. By using a verb of posture like zitten (to sit) plus te and an infinitive (spelen), it emphasizes that the children are currently in the middle of playing (and doing so while located in the garden).
Why does the verb drinken come immediately after the comma?
The relative clause (wier kinderen... spelen) simply interrupts the main sentence (De ouders drinken koffie). Once the relative clause is closed by the comma, the main clause picks up exactly where it left off, which is with the main verb drinken.
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