Breakdown of Zij neemt de dienst van een collega over.
overnemen
to take over
de dienst
the service / the shift
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Questions & Answers about Zij neemt de dienst van een collega over.
This lesson is about using the tentative simple past for polite requests. How could we turn this sentence into a polite suggestion about her taking over the shift?
You can turn it into a question using the simple past tense of overnemen. The past tense of neemt is nam, so the polite suggestion would be: Nam zij de dienst van een collega over? (Would she mind taking over a colleague's shift?). Using the past tense makes it sound less direct and more polite.
Why is over placed at the very end of the sentence?
It belongs to the separable verb overnemen (to take over). In a simple main clause like this one, the verb splits. The conjugated part (neemt) takes the second position, while the separable prefix (over) goes all the way to the end of the clause.
Does dienst normally mean "service"? Why is it translated as "shift" here?
While dienst does often mean "service" (like in klantenservice or a church service), in a workplace context it commonly means "shift". For example, you might work a vroege dienst (early shift) or nachtdienst (night shift).
Could I say een collega's dienst instead of de dienst van een collega?