Breakdown of Ga bij het plein naar links en dan rechtdoor.
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
het plein
the square
rechtdoor
straight ahead
links
left / on the left
Questions & Answers about Ga bij het plein naar links en dan rechtdoor.
Why isn't heen or naartoe used in this sentence to show direction?
The words heen and naartoe are typically used with a destination to express movement "towards" it (like in Waar ga je naartoe?). In this sentence, the phrases naar links (to the left) and rechtdoor (straight on) already express the exact direction of movement, so extra directional adverbs aren't needed.
Why do we say naar links but not naar rechtdoor?
When giving directions, you always use naar before left and right (naar links, naar rechts). However, rechtdoor (straight on) is already a complete directional word on its own, so you never put naar in front of it.
Why is bij used for "at" the square?
The preposition bij is used here because it means "at the location of" or "near". When giving directions, bij tells the listener the specific landmark (het plein) where they need to take their next action.
Why does the sentence start with just Ga instead of Je gaat?
This sentence is giving an instruction, so it uses the imperative (command) form. Just like in English, you create a command in Dutch by using the basic stem of the verb (ga) and leaving out the subject completely.
Learn Ga bij het plein naar links en dan rechtdoor and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free