Breakdown of De onbezorgde kleuters komen de speelplaats op rennen.
op
on
komen
to come
rennen
to run
de speelplaats
the playground
de kleuter
the toddler / the preschooler (ages 4-6)
onbezorgd
carefree
Questions & Answers about De onbezorgde kleuters komen de speelplaats op rennen.
English says 'come running', using an '-ing' word. Why does Dutch use the infinitive rennen here?
In Dutch, when you describe the manner in which someone arrives, you use komen followed by a bare infinitive (an infinitive without te). While English uses an '-ing' form like 'running' or 'walking', Dutch uses the infinitive form like rennen or lopen.
Why is op placed after de speelplaats instead of before it?
Placing the word after the noun turns it into a postposition, which indicates direction or movement. Op de speelplaats rennen means they are already on the playground running around. De speelplaats op rennen means they are moving onto the playground from somewhere else.
Why are komen and rennen split up in this sentence?
In a standard main clause, the conjugated verb (komen) takes the second position. Any other verbs in the sentence, like the infinitive rennen, must go to the very end of the clause. The directional phrase de speelplaats op simply sits between them.
Onbezorgd looks like a past participle. Why does it get an -e at the end here?
Even though onbezorgd (carefree) is derived from a participle, it functions as a normal adjective here. Because it stands between the definite article de and the noun kleuters, it gets the standard -e ending to become onbezorgde.
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