Breakdown of De zon gaat onder en de vijand vlucht.
en
and
de zon
the sun
vluchten
to flee
de vijand
the enemy
Questions & Answers about De zon gaat onder en de vijand vlucht.
Why is the verb ondergaan split into gaat onder in this sentence?
In Dutch, ondergaan is a dual-nature verb. When it has a literal, physical meaning like 'to go down' or 'to set', it is separable and the stress falls on the prefix (óndergaan). If it had the figurative meaning of 'to undergo' or 'to endure', it would be inseparable with the stress on the verb (ondergáán), and it would stay together as one word in a main clause.
Is there a general rule for guessing whether a dual-nature verb like ondergaan is separable or inseparable?
Yes! Usually, if the meaning is literal and physical (like the sun physically going under the horizon), the verb is separable and the prefix gets the stress. If the meaning is abstract or figurative (like undergoing a medical procedure), it is inseparable and the core verb gets the stress.
How would this clause look in the present perfect tense ('The sun has set')?
It would be De zon is ondergegaan. Because it is a separable verb in this context, the past participle gets the -ge- placed between the prefix and the root. If you were using the inseparable version meaning 'to undergo', the past participle wouldn't get a -ge- at all and would just be ondergaan.
Why does the second clause say de vijand vlucht instead of inverting the verb and subject?
The word en is a coordinating conjunction, which means it joins two independent main clauses without affecting the word order. The second clause simply follows the standard subject-verb order, just like the first one.