Breakdown of Bij het altaar verslikte de bruidegom zich in de wijn.
in
in
bij
at / near / by
de wijn
the wine
de bruidegom
the groom
het altaar
the altar
zich verslikken
to choke (on food/drink)
Questions & Answers about Bij het altaar verslikte de bruidegom zich in de wijn.
Why is zich placed after de bruidegom instead of right after the verb verslikte?
Because the sentence starts with Bij het altaar, it triggers inversion, putting the verb (verslikte) before the subject (de bruidegom). When the subject is a full noun, the reflexive pronoun zich must come strictly after the subject. You cannot say verslikte zich de bruidegom.
Why do we use in for 'choked on'? Doesn't op make more sense?
The Dutch verb zich verslikken (to swallow the wrong way or choke) uses the fixed preposition in to indicate what caused the choking. While English says 'choked on', Dutch essentially says 'choked himself in'.
Is verslikken always reflexive? Why do we need zich here?
Yes, zich verslikken is an inherently reflexive verb. Unlike the English 'to choke', you cannot use it without the reflexive pronoun. Saying de bruidegom verslikte in de wijn without zich is grammatically incorrect.
Could I move the prepositional phrase and say verslikte de bruidegom in de wijn zich?
No, zich needs to sit as close to the subject as possible. It must come before the prepositional object (in de wijn).
Learn Bij het altaar verslikte de bruidegom zich in de wijn and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free