Learn Hardcore Dutch: Wij willen niet te lang fietsen, maar liever thuis blijven en muziek spelen. - We don't want to bike too long, but rather stay home and play music.

Dutch uses niet (not) to negate adjectives and verbs. The phrase te lang fietsen (cycling too long) is an action or activity, so you negate the action with niet. By contrast, geen (no/not any) is used to negate nouns. Since you’re negating the idea of cycling too long (a verb phrase), niet is appropriate here.

What does te lang convey in this sentence?

Te lang means too long and indicates that the speakers do not want to cycle for an extended period. They’re emphasizing that they don’t want their bike ride to be longer than a certain comfortable duration.

Why do we use blijven and then en muziek spelen at the end?

In Dutch, when you list multiple verbs describing different actions, you can place them at the end of the sentence. Blijven is the verb that goes with thuis (to stay at home), and spelen describes the action of playing music. So thuis blijven en muziek spelen is a natural word order: blijf thuis + speel muziek.

What is the role of liever in this sentence?

Liever indicates a preference. The sentence sets up a contrast: they do not want to cycle for too long, but they prefer staying home and playing music. So, maar liever suggests an alternative that is more desirable than cycling too long.

Can wij and we be used interchangeably in Dutch?

Yes, in general, wij and we can both mean we in English. Wij sometimes places more emphasis on the subject, while we is more neutral. In modern usage, many native speakers use we in most cases and wij when adding extra stress or a more formal tone.

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