Gebruik de radiatorknop in plaats van de radiator uit te zetten.

to turn off

Breakdown of Gebruik de radiatorknop in plaats van de radiator uit te zetten.

• gebruiken: to use
• in plaats van: instead of
• de radiator: the radiator

Questions & Answers about Gebruik de radiatorknop in plaats van de radiator uit te zetten.

What form is gebruik here?

Gebruik is the imperative form of gebruiken (to use).

So the sentence is giving an instruction or command:

• Gebruik ... = Use ...

In Dutch, the imperative is often just the verb stem:

• gebruiken → gebruik
• lopen → loop
• kijken → kijk

So this sentence starts exactly the way many instructions do.

Why is there no subject like je or u in the sentence?

That is normal in Dutch commands.

In an imperative sentence, the subject is usually left out, just like in English:

• Use the radiator knob.
• Gebruik de radiatorknop.

Dutch can include the subject for emphasis or politeness in some cases, but the basic command usually omits it.

So:

• Gebruik de radiatorknop = a normal instruction
• The implied subject is you

Why is radiatorknop written as one word?