Breakdown of Nadat we waren omgekeerd, stelden we ons plan bij.
zijn
to be
wij
we
ons
our
het plan
the plan
nadat
after
omkeren
to turn around (direction, vehicle)
bijstellen
to adjust (e.g. plans, expectations)
Questions & Answers about Nadat we waren omgekeerd, stelden we ons plan bij.
Why do we use waren omgekeerd (past perfect) here instead of the simple past?
The conjunction nadat strictly requires the action in its clause to be fully completed before the main clause happens. Since the main clause (stelden we ons plan bij) is already in the simple past, the nadat clause must shift one step further back in time, requiring the past perfect (waren omgekeerd).
Why does the first clause use waren instead of hadden for 'had'?
Why is the word order stelden we rather than we stelden in the second half?
The entire nadat subordinate clause acts as the first element of the main sentence. Because Dutch uses verb-second (V2) word order in main clauses, the main verb (stelden) must immediately follow the comma, pushing the subject (we) behind it.
How do the separable verbs omkeren and bijstellen behave differently in this sentence?
In the subordinate clause, the past participle of omkeren merges its prefix and the ge- affix into one word (omgekeerd). However, in the main clause, bijstellen is conjugated in the simple past (stelden). Because it is a main clause, the separable prefix bij detaches and moves to the very end of the sentence.
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