Breakdown of Zodra de kok het vlees aansnijdt, eten wij vier vijfde op.
wij
we
vier
four
het vlees
the meat
vijfde
fifth (5th)
zodra
as soon as
de kok
the cook
aansnijden
to cut into
opeten
to eat up
Questions & Answers about Zodra de kok het vlees aansnijdt, eten wij vier vijfde op.
Why is it vier vijfde without a plural ending, unlike the English 'four-fifths'?
In Dutch, the denominator in a fraction (like vijfde) usually remains in the singular form, even when the numerator is greater than one. So 'four-fifths' translates simply as vier vijfde, without adding a plural -n or -s like we do in English.
Why is aansnijdt written as one word at the end of the first clause?
The verb aansnijden (to carve or cut into) is a separable verb. In a normal main clause, it would split (for example, de kok snijdt het vlees aan). However, zodra (as soon as) introduces a subordinate clause, which pushes the verb to the end. When a separable verb goes to the end of a subordinate clause, its parts recombine into a single word.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb eten?
This happens because of the Dutch V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire first clause (Zodra de kok het vlees aansnijdt) counts as the first block of information in the sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, the conjugated verb (eten) must come immediately after the comma, swapping places with the subject (wij).
What is the word op doing at the very end of the sentence?
It is the prefix of the separable verb opeten (to eat up). Because the second half of the sentence acts as the main clause, the verb splits. The conjugated part (eten) takes the second position, and the prefix (op) is sent all the way to the end of the sentence.
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