Breakdown of Door overmacht kwamen we in tijdnood met de planning.
in
in
met
with
komen
to come
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Door overmacht kwamen we in tijdnood met de planning.
Is in tijdnood komen a standard expression for "running out of time"?
Yes! Literally meaning "to come into time-need," in tijdnood komen is the common, idiomatic way to say you are running out of time or getting pressed for time. You can also use it with the verb zitten to describe a state rather than a change: we zitten in tijdnood (we are short on time).
How exactly is overmacht used here?
Overmacht translates to "force majeure" or "circumstances beyond one's control." It is formed from over (superior) and macht (power). You use it when something goes wrong but it genuinely wasn't anyone's fault, such as extreme weather delaying a project. Door overmacht is a fixed phrase meaning "due to unforeseen circumstances."
Does planning mean the same thing in Dutch as it does in English?
Not exactly! While it looks like the English continuous verb, in Dutch de planning is a noun that usually refers to the concrete schedule, timeline, or itinerary itself. So met de planning here translates to "with the schedule," not the abstract act of planning.
Why does the sentence use kwamen we instead of we kwamen?