Breakdown of Het schip was stuurloos en kwam vast te zitten.
zijn
to be
en
and
te
to (infinitive marker)
het schip
the ship
Questions & Answers about Het schip was stuurloos en kwam vast te zitten.
Why use kwam ... te zitten instead of just saying zat vast?
This highlights the focus of your current lesson! Using komen te + infinitive shows the transition into a resulting state. If you said Het schip zat vast, it simply describes a static situation: the ship was stuck. Kwam vast te zitten emphasizes the action of entering that state: the ship got stuck.
Why is vast separated from zitten by the word te?
The core verb meaning "to be stuck" is vastzitten, which is a separable verb. When a separable verb requires a te before it (as it does in the komen te structure), the prefix vast splits from the main verb, and te is sandwiched right in the middle, creating vast te zitten.
The English translation says "adrift". Does stuurloos have a more literal meaning?
Yes, literally it translates to "rudderless" or "unsteerable". It is made up of the noun stuur (steering wheel or helm) and the suffix -loos (meaning "-less"). In a nautical context, a ship that cannot be steered is considered adrift.
In the second clause, why does the verb kwam appear immediately after en?