Breakdown of Nadat wij getankt hadden, reden wij verder.
tanken
to fill up (with fuel)
Questions & Answers about Nadat wij getankt hadden, reden wij verder.
Why do we use the past perfect (getankt hadden) in the first part and the simple past (reden) in the second part?
This is the rule of mandatory anteriority. The word nadat (after) signals that the first action was completely finished before the second one started. Because the main action happened in the past (reden), the completed action before it must be pushed one step further back into the past perfect (getankt hadden).
Why is it reden wij instead of wij reden in the second half?
The entire nadat clause acts as the first idea in the sentence. Whenever a sentence starts with something other than the subject, Dutch uses inversion. The verb (reden) must take the second position in the main clause, pushing the subject (wij) right behind it.
Can I change the word order to Nadat wij hadden getankt?
Yes, you can. In a subordinate clause, the helping verb (hadden) and the past participle (getankt) form a verb cluster at the end. You are free to put the helping verb either before or after the participle. Both are completely correct and sound natural.
Why is verder separated from the verb and placed at the end?
This comes from the separable verb verderrijden (to drive on). In a main clause in the simple past tense, the core verb (reden) takes the standard verb position, and the separable prefix (verder) is kicked to the very end of the clause.
Learn Nadat wij getankt hadden, reden wij verder 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