Breakdown of Na de scheiding verstreek de tijd langzaam.
verstrijken
to pass (of time)
de scheiding
the divorce / the separation
Questions & Answers about Na de scheiding verstreek de tijd langzaam.
What is the infinitive of verstreek, and is it a regular verb?
The infinitive is verstrijken, which means 'to pass' or 'to elapse' when talking about time. It is a strong (irregular) verb that follows the same vowel-shift pattern as kijken: verstrijken (present), verstreek (simple past), and zijn verstreken (present perfect).
Why couldn't I just use passeerde for 'passed' in this sentence?
In Dutch, passeren is generally used for physical movement, like passing a building or a person on the street. When you are talking about abstract concepts like time passing, you need to use verstrijken or voorbijgaan.
Why are the verb and subject swapped here (verstreek de tijd)?
This is a great refresher on the V2 (verb-second) rule. Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Na de scheiding, the conjugated verb (verstreek) must take the second position in the sentence. This forces the subject (de tijd) to invert and come immediately after the verb.
Is scheiding specifically a divorce, or can it mean other types of separation?
It can mean both. Scheiding literally means 'separation' or 'division' (like a parting in your hair, or the separation of waste). However, in a relational context without any other qualifiers, it is the standard everyday word for 'divorce'.
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