Learn Hardcore Dutch: Als we te laat thuiskomen, moeten we fietsen naar de winkel om snel brood te halen. - If we come home too late, we have to bike to the store to quickly get bread.

In Dutch, 'als' can mean 'if' in a conditional context, while 'wanneer' often refers to a more general 'when' in time. Here, 'als' introduces a condition (if we come home too late), so 'als' fits best.

Why is 'te laat' used together instead of just 'laat'?

In Dutch, 'te laat' literally means 'too late', implying that you’re running behind schedule. If you only said 'laat', it would mean 'late' without the sense of it being problematic. 'Te laat' emphasizes that it’s actually too late.

How does 'thuiskomen' work as a single word?

In Dutch, it's common to combine certain words into a single verb. 'Thuiskomen' literally means 'to come home' and is treated as a single verb form, rather than saying 'thuis komen' as separate words.

When you say 'moeten we fietsen naar de winkel', is that the same as saying 'we moeten naar de winkel fietsen'?

Yes, it’s the same meaning. Dutch word order is flexible in main clauses, so 'moeten we fietsen naar de winkel' and 'we moeten naar de winkel fietsen' both convey the idea that we have to bike to the store. The version in the sentence just places 'moeten' before 'we' for emphasis or style.

Is 'halen' here the same as 'kopen', or is there a difference?

In this context, 'halen' can mean 'get', 'pick up', or 'obtain'. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re buying it, although in this case you probably are. 'Kopen' specifically means 'to buy'. So 'halen' is a bit more general and can imply the action of going to get something (whether it’s free, paid for, or any other way of acquiring it).

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