Na mijn werk ga ik muziek spelen met mijn familie om te ontspannen.

After my work, I’m going to play music with my family to relax.

Breakdown of Na mijn werk ga ik muziek spelen met mijn familie om te ontspannen.

• ik: I
• gaan: to go
• met: with
• om: for
• spelen: to play
• de muziek: the music
• mijn: my
• de familie: the family
• het werk: the work
• na: after
• ontspannen: to relax

Questions & Answers about Na mijn werk ga ik muziek spelen met mijn familie om te ontspannen.

Why do we use na here instead of something like nadat?

Na is a preposition that means "after," followed directly by a noun (in this case mijn werk). Nadat is a conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause (for example: Nadat ik gewerkt heb, ga ik muziek spelen). Since we're using a noun phrase (mijn werk) rather than a clause, na is correct.

Why do we say muziek spelen? Could we use muziek maken or een instrument bespelen?

Muziek spelen is a common expression in Dutch for playing music. Muziek maken can also be used and is more general, suggesting the act of making or performing music. If you're focusing on a specific instrument, you could say gitaar bespelen or piano spelen, for example. But in the given sentence, muziek spelen is a perfectly natural choice.

What does met mijn familie imply, and could we say met mijn gezin?

In Dutch, familie usually refers to the broader family (including parents, grandparents, cousins, etc.), whereas gezin typically means your immediate household (parents and children). If you specifically mean your spouse and children, mijn gezin is more precise. However, if you mean extended family, mijn familie is correct.

Why do we say om te ontspannen instead of something like voor ontspanning?

In Dutch, om te + infinitive expresses the purpose or goal of an action (in English: "in order to"). When you want to say you're doing something "to relax," om te ontspannen is the standard construction. Voor ontspanning sounds more like "for relaxation" in a noun-based sense rather than explaining the purpose of your action.

Is the order ga ik muziek spelen standard, and could it also be ik ga muziek spelen?

Yes, both ik ga muziek spelen and ga ik muziek spelen are possible, but the word order changes slightly when you put Na mijn werk at the start of the sentence. In Dutch, something that comes at the beginning often causes an inversion of subject and verb. However, you could still say Na mijn werk ik ga muziek spelen, but it sounds less fluent. The given order (Na mijn werk ga ik...) is more natural.