Breakdown of Om drie uur komen de vrolijke kleuters de speelplaats op rennen.
drie
three
op
on
komen
to come
het uur
hour / o'clock
om
at (time)
rennen
to run
de speelplaats
the playground
vrolijk
cheerful / merry
de kleuter
the toddler / preschooler (ages 4-6)
Questions & Answers about Om drie uur komen de vrolijke kleuters de speelplaats op rennen.
How does the 'come running' structure translate in this sentence, and why is rennen at the end?
To say someone 'comes running', Dutch uses komen plus the bare infinitive of a motion verb (rennen). In this main clause, the conjugated verb komen takes the second position, which pushes the infinitive rennen all the way to the end of the sentence.
Why do we use de speelplaats op instead of op de speelplaats?
Placing the preposition op after the noun (de speelplaats) turns it into a postposition that shows direction or destination. It means the toddlers are running onto the playground. If we used op de speelplaats, it would mean they were already on the playground running around, rather than arriving there.
Why is there no te or aan het before rennen?
When using komen to describe how someone arrives (manner of arrival), it always pairs directly with a bare infinitive. Unlike some other verb combinations in Dutch, you never use te or the continuous aan het form here.
Why is the verb before the subject here (komen de vrolijke kleuters)?
The sentence starts with the time phrase Om drie uur. Because Dutch uses the V2 rule (the conjugated verb must be the second element in a main clause), starting with anything other than the subject forces the verb and subject to swap places.
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