Ik zal de keuken schoonmaken nadat we samen hebben gegeten.

I will clean the kitchen after we have eaten together.

Breakdown of Ik zal de keuken schoonmaken nadat we samen hebben gegeten.

• ik: I
• hebben: to have
• eten: to eat
• wij: we
• samen: together
• de keuken: the kitchen
• zullen: will
• schoonmaken: to clean
• nadat: after

Questions & Answers about Ik zal de keuken schoonmaken nadat we samen hebben gegeten.

Why do we use zal in this sentence instead of a present tense verb?

In Dutch, zal is used to express a future action. So saying Ik zal de keuken schoonmaken means “I will clean the kitchen” rather than “I clean the kitchen.” It indicates the action will happen at a moment later than now.

Why is the verb schoonmaken written as one word?

In Dutch, schoonmaken is a separable verb. Unlike English phrasal verbs that are usually written as two words, separable verbs in Dutch are typically written as one word in the infinitive form (e.g., schoonmaken). However, when you conjugate it in a main clause, it can split. For example: Ik maak de keuken schoon (I clean the kitchen).

Why do we say nadat we samen hebben gegeten with the perfect tense?

Nadat means “after,” and in Dutch, a subordinate clause introduced by nadat typically uses the perfect tense (the hebben + past participle form) when referring to a completed action in the future or general time sequence. So you say hebben gegeten because by the time the cleaning starts, the eating will have been completed.

What is the role of samen in the sentence?

Samen simply means “together.” Placing it before hebben gegeten indicates that the action of eating will be a shared activity. You could omit samen if you wanted to say nadat we hebben gegeten, but then you lose the emphasis on the shared aspect.

Is the word order nadat we samen hebben gegeten fixed?

For the most part, yes. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the finite verb (in this case, hebben) typically comes at or near the end of the clause, with the past participle (gegeten) at the very end. Because nadat introduces a subordinate clause, these elements follow the standard subclause (or “verb to the end”) structure.