Breakdown of Daarna hervatten we het overleg, want we hebben even kunnen afschakelen.
hebben
to have
want
because
daarna
after that
kunnen
can
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
even
just, for a moment (particle)
het overleg
the consultation / the meeting (deliberation)
afschakelen
to unwind / to disconnect
hervatten
to resume
Questions & Answers about Daarna hervatten we het overleg, want we hebben even kunnen afschakelen.
Why does the sentence use two infinitives at the end (kunnen afschakelen) instead of a past participle like gekund?
This is the "double infinitive" rule. When a modal verb like kunnen is used with another verb in the perfect tense, it takes its infinitive form instead of its past participle. So, instead of saying hebben gekund afschakelen (which is incorrect), Dutch stacks the infinitives: hebben kunnen afschakelen.
Why does the word order stay normal after want? Doesn't "because" usually send the verbs to the end?
It depends on the word you use for "because"! Want is a coordinating conjunction, meaning it simply links two normal, independent sentences together without changing the word order. If you used omdat (which also means because), the verbs would go to the end of the clause: ...omdat we even hebben kunnen afschakelen.
Why does the first clause say hervatten we instead of we hervatten?
Because the sentence starts with Daarna (afterwards). In Dutch, whenever you start a main clause with something other than the subject (like a time or sequence word), the subject and verb invert to keep the conjugated verb in the second position.
Is afschakelen only used for people relaxing, or can it be used for electronics?
It is used for both! Literally, it means to turn off or disconnect a machine or electrical circuit. Figuratively, as used here, it's a very common way to say you are "unwinding" or mentally switching off from work or stress.
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