Ik ga later naar de markt.

I

Breakdown of Ik ga later naar de markt.

• gaan: to go
• naar: to
• de markt: the market
• later: later

Questions & Answers about Ik ga later naar de markt.

Why does ik ga mean both “I go” and “I am going”?

In Dutch, the verb gaan can be used to talk about a future or immediate action similar to “going to” in English. Dutch doesn’t have a continuous tense the same way English does, so ik ga can mean either a habitual action (“I go”) or an ongoing/future action (“I am going”).

What does later signify, and can it be placed anywhere else in the sentence?

Later means “later” in time, indicating a point in the future. Typically, in Dutch, you can alter the word order slightly, for example: Ik ga naar de markt later, but the most natural position for later is right after ga or before the final phrase. Word order in Dutch can sometimes shift for emphasis.

What is the role of naar in this sentence?

Naar is a preposition that usually translates to “to” in English when expressing movement toward a destination. In Ik ga later naar de markt, it is necessary to indicate the direction or location you are going to.

Does de markt always need the article de?

Yes, markt is a common noun in Dutch, and it is typically used with the definite article de (“the”). In Dutch, nouns often come with an article (de or het), so it’s natural to say de markt (the market).