Questions & Answers about Wij bereiden ons voor op de tekst.
Why is ons in this sentence?
In Dutch, the verb for "to prepare" is reflexive: zich voorbereiden. It literally translates to "to prepare oneself". Because the subject is wij (we), the reflexive pronoun is ons (ourselves).
Where does the word voor come from, and why is it separated?
Voor is the prefix of the separable verb voorbereiden (to prepare). In a standard main clause, the conjugated part (bereiden) goes in the second position, and the prefix (voor) moves toward the end of the sentence. It can go right before the prepositional phrase (voor op de tekst) or at the very end (op de tekst voor).
Why do we use op here instead of a word for "for"?
Verbs in Dutch often pair with fixed prepositions that don't match English perfectly. The set phrase is zich voorbereiden op (to prepare for). You just have to memorize that voorbereiden takes op for the thing you are preparing for.
How would the word order change if I added a modal verb like moeten (must)?
This fits your current lesson! The modal verb moeten would take the second position, and the separable verb goes to the end as one single word. The sentence would become: Wij moeten ons op de tekst voorbereiden.
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