Wij gaan naar school en spreken met onze vriendin.

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Breakdown of Wij gaan naar school en spreken met onze vriendin.

• gaan: to go
• naar: to
• de school: the school
• en: and
• spreken: to speak
• met: with
• onze: our
• de vriendin: the (female) friend

Questions & Answers about Wij gaan naar school en spreken met onze vriendin.

Why does the sentence start with Wij instead of We?

In Dutch, Wij and We both mean “we,” but Wij is more stressed and often used in more formal or emphatic situations. We is more common in daily speech. Both are correct, and native speakers use them somewhat interchangeably, with Wij carrying a bit more emphasis.

What is the role of naar in the phrase naar school?

Naar in Dutch generally translates to “to” in English. When talking about going to a place, such as school, work, or home, you use naar (e.g., Wij gaan naar school).

Why does the verb spreken come after en?

The sentence consists of two connected parts: “We go to school” (Wij gaan naar school) and “we speak with our friend” (spreken met onze vriendin). The conjunction en (“and”) simply links these two clauses. The second clause keeps its verb in second position (immediately after the subject), which is typical in main clauses in Dutch.

When should I use onze instead of ons?

Onze is used for plural nouns and for singular “de”-words (like vriendin, which has the article de). Ons is used for singular “het”-words (for instance, ons huis since huis is a “het”-word). In this sentence, vriendin is a “de”-word, so you use onze.

Is there a difference between vriend and vriendin?

Yes. Vriend typically refers to a male friend (or can mean “boyfriend”), whereas vriendin refers to a female friend (or can mean “girlfriend”). In Dutch, nouns often reflect the gender of the person.