Breakdown of De buurvrouw luistert ons stiekem af.
de buurvrouw
the neighbor (female)
ons
us (object)
stiekem
secretly
afluisteren
to eavesdrop
Questions & Answers about De buurvrouw luistert ons stiekem af.
Why is there no preposition like naar used here?
While the regular verb for 'to listen' is luisteren naar, the verb in this sentence is the separable verb afluisteren, which means 'to eavesdrop on'. Afluisteren takes a direct object without a preposition, so we say luistert ons af instead of using naar.
Why is af at the very end of the sentence?
The verb afluisteren is a separable verb. In a main clause like this one, the conjugated part (luistert) goes in the second position, while the separable prefix (af) is kicked to the very end of the sentence.
Could I change the word order and say De buurvrouw luistert stiekem ons af?
No, that would sound unnatural. In Dutch word order, definite direct objects like the pronoun ons almost always come before adverbs of manner like stiekem.
Why does Dutch use buurvrouw instead of just a general word for neighbor?
Dutch explicitly distinguishes between a male neighbor (buurman) and a female neighbor (buurvrouw). If you are talking about neighbors in general, or multiple neighbors, you use the plural buren. Here, the neighbor eavesdropping is specifically female.
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