Breakdown of Kwam het u nu uit om het rooster te bespreken?
u
you (formal)
nu
now
het
it
bespreken
to discuss
Questions & Answers about Kwam het u nu uit om het rooster te bespreken?
Why is the past tense verb kwam used together with the present time word nu?
This is the tentative simple past. By using the past tense, the speaker makes the question feel softer and less direct, which is a common way to be polite in Dutch. Even though it literally says 'Did it suit you now,' the real meaning is 'Would it be convenient for you now.'
What is the infinitive form of the verb here, and what does it mean in this context?
The verb is the separable verb uitkomen. It has a few different meanings, but when it is used with an indirect object like u (you), it means 'to suit' or 'to be convenient.'
Could I replace Kwam het u nu uit with Zou het u nu uitkomen?
Yes, absolutely. Both structures are used to mean exactly the same thing: 'Would it suit you now.' Using the tentative simple past (kwam) is just slightly faster to say than using the conditional (zou ... uitkomen), but they are equally polite and interchangeable.
Why is the prefix uit placed right before om instead of at the very end of the sentence?
In a main clause, a separable prefix like uit moves to the end of that clause. However, the om ... te infinitive phrase acts as a separate dependent clause added onto the end of the sentence. Because of this, uit takes its position at the end of the main clause, right before om begins the next one.