Wij werken nu in een andere context dan vroeger.
We work in a different context now than in the past.
Breakdown of Wij werken nu in een andere context dan vroeger.
een
a/an
wij
we
nu
now
werken
to work
in
in
dan
than
vroeger
in the past
ander
other
de context
the context
Questions & Answers about Wij werken nu in een andere context dan vroeger.
Why do we use dan here instead of als?
This sentence expresses a difference, using andere (different/other). In Dutch, when you compare differences using ander or andere, you always pair it with dan (just like "other than" in English). You only use als when comparing things that are identical, such as dezelfde context als (the same context as).
Why is it andere with an -e at the end, since it comes after een?
Context is a de-word (de context). Adjectives placed before a de-word always get an -e ending, even when preceded by the indefinite article een. You only drop the -e when an adjective comes before a het-word following een (for example, een ander land).
Could I put nu later in the sentence, like Wij werken in een andere context nu?
That would sound unnatural. Dutch strongly prefers placing expressions of time (like nu) early in the sentence, usually right after the finite verb. Following the general "Time-Manner-Place" guideline, nu (Time) naturally comes before the prepositional phrase in een andere context.
Doesn't vroeger just mean "earlier"?
While it is technically the comparative form of vroeg (early), vroeger is almost exclusively used as a standalone adverb meaning "in the past", "formerly", or "back in the day". If you want to say "earlier" in the sense of "earlier today" or "previously", you should use eerder.
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