Word
Omdat de bruidegom zich verkleedde, was het altaar leeg.
Meaning
Because the groom changed clothes, the altar was empty.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Omdat de bruidegom zich verkleedde, was het altaar leeg.
zijn
to be
leeg
empty
omdat
because (subordinating)
de bruidegom
the groom
Questions & Answers about Omdat de bruidegom zich verkleedde, was het altaar leeg.
Why is zich placed after de bruidegom? Could I write Omdat zich de bruidegom verkleedde?
No, you cannot. In a subordinate clause (starting with omdat), a full-noun subject like de bruidegom must come first. The reflexive pronoun zich strictly follows the noun subject. You cannot place zich between the conjunction and a full-noun subject.
Does zich verkleden mean "to dress up" (like in a costume) or "to change clothes"?
It can mean both! Context is key. While it is often used for dressing up in a costume (like for Carnival), it is also the standard verb for simply changing your clothes, which is what the groom is doing here.
Why does verkleedde have a double 'd'?
This is due to the regular past tense spelling rules. To form the past tense, you take the verb stem and add -de (or -te). The infinitive is verkleden, making the stem verkleed. When you add the singular past tense ending -de to the stem, you get verkleedde.
Why is it was het altaar leeg instead of het altaar was leeg?