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Breakdown of Wij moeten de woorden goed onthouden, zodat we beter kunnen spreken.
wij
we
spreken
to speak
moeten
to have to
het woord
the word
beter
better
onthouden
to remember
zodat
so that
kunnen
can
Questions & Answers about Wij moeten de woorden goed onthouden, zodat we beter kunnen spreken.
Why is wij used here instead of we?
Dutch has two forms for "we": wij and we. Wij often places a bit more emphasis on the subject or is used in more formal contexts, while we is more neutral or informal. In many cases, they can be used interchangeably without changing the meaning significantly.
Why do we say de woorden and not het woorden?
In Dutch, nouns are classified as either "de"-words or "het"-words. Woord (singular) and woorden (plural) are "de"-words, so the article must be de. Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple rule to determine automatically which nouns get de or het – it’s something learners usually memorize.
What is the purpose of zodat in this sentence?
Zodat is a conjunction that indicates purpose or outcome. It’s often translated as "so that" in English. The part that follows zodat explains why or for what purpose something is done, in this case "we can speak better".
Why do we say beter kunnen spreken instead of a different word order?
In subordinate clauses introduced by zodat, the conjugated verb(s) typically move to the end of the clause. So, kunnen (the auxiliary) and spreken (the main verb) come at the end. Beter is simply placed before the verb phrase to modify spreken.
Is there a difference between onthouden and herinneren?
Yes. Onthouden means "to memorize" or "to retain in your memory" (focusing on actively keeping information). Zich herinneren means "to recall" or "to remember something that happened or that you once learned." In the sentence, onthouden emphasizes the action of memorizing the words so you can use them later.
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