Word
Je moet vooruitdenken, anders riskeer je je voorsprong.
Meaning
You must think ahead, otherwise you risk your lead.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Je moet vooruitdenken, anders riskeer je je voorsprong.
moeten
to have to, must
je
your (unstressed)
anders
otherwise / differently
de voorsprong
the lead
Questions & Answers about Je moet vooruitdenken, anders riskeer je je voorsprong.
Why is it riskeer je and not je riskeert after anders?
Anders (otherwise) acts as an adverb here, taking the first position in the second main clause. Because the clause starts with a word other than the subject, it triggers inversion, swapping the subject and the verb.
Why is vooruitdenken written as one solid word here?
Vooruitdenken (to think ahead) is a separable verb. While it splits in simple sentences (like ik denk vooruit), the modal verb moet pushes it to the end of the clause as a full infinitive. When a separable verb is in its full infinitive form, it is always written as one word.
This lesson is about van wel and van niet. How might those be used in a conversation about this sentence?
If someone asked you, 'Do I really have to think ahead?' (Moet ik vooruitdenken?), you could reply, Ik denk van wel (I think so). The phrase van wel replaces the entire clause, so you don't have to repeat the whole sentence to express 'I think that you must think ahead.'
What is the literal translation of voorsprong?
It literally means a 'forward jump' or 'forward leap' (voor + sprong). It is most commonly used to mean a lead in a race, a competition, or a general advantage over someone else.