Breakdown of Het is buiten koud en guur, dus we blijven hier binnen schuilen.
zijn
to be
hier
here
en
and
wij
we
buiten
outside
koud
cold
binnen
inside
het
it
blijven
to stay
dus
so, therefore
guur
bleak / raw (weather)
schuilen
to take shelter
Questions & Answers about Het is buiten koud en guur, dus we blijven hier binnen schuilen.
Why is the word order dus we blijven instead of sending the verb to the end?
The word dus (so) acts as a coordinating conjunction here, similar to en, maar, or want. It links two main clauses, so the second clause keeps the standard Subject-Verb order: we + blijven. Note that dus can sometimes act as an adverb causing inversion (dus blijven we), but as a conjunction it does not affect word order.
How does the phrase blijven hier binnen schuilen translate to 'keep sheltering'?
When you want to say you 'keep doing' something or 'continue to' do it, Dutch uses the verb blijven (to remain/stay) followed by the infinitive of the action verb. Here, blijven acts as the conjugated verb, and the infinitive schuilen (to shelter) is pushed to the very end of the clause.
What does the word guur add to the sentence?
Guur translates to bleak, raw, or biting. While koud just means cold, guur specifically implies an unpleasant, harsh cold, usually accompanied by wind. It is almost exclusively used to describe weather, very often in the common pair koud en guur.
Can I reverse the order of hier binnen and say binnen hier?
No, in Dutch, general location adverbs like hier (here), daar (there), or waar (where) must precede more specific positional words like binnen (inside) or buiten (outside). Therefore, it must always be hier binnen (in here).
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