Wij moeten eerst groenten eten, dus koken wij een maaltijd.

to eat

Breakdown of Wij moeten eerst groenten eten, dus koken wij een maaltijd.

• wij: we
• koken: to cook
• de maaltijd: the meal
• de groente: the vegetable
• eerst: first
• moeten: must
• dus: so

Questions & Answers about Wij moeten eerst groenten eten, dus koken wij een maaltijd.

Why is wij used here? Is that different from we?

In Dutch, wij is the stressed form of “we,” used to emphasize that it’s specifically us who must do something. We is the more common, unstressed form. In everyday conversation, you’ll often hear we, but using wij adds a bit more emphasis.

What does moeten mean, and why is it used here?

Moeten in Dutch means “must” or “have to.” It’s a modal verb that expresses necessity or obligation. In this sentence, it shows that eating vegetables first isn’t optional—“we have to eat them first.”

Why do we say groenten (plural) instead of groente (singular)?

Groeten in the singular actually means “greet(s),” but groente can mean “vegetable” (singular). Meanwhile, groenten or groentes is the plural form for “vegetables.” In this sentence, we’re talking about vegetables in general—more than one type or serving—hence groenten.

Why does the word order switch to dus koken wij instead of dus wij koken?

In Dutch, certain connecting words (like dus, which means “so” or “therefore”) can cause an inversion: the verb (koken) comes before the subject (wij). This is common after words that function like conjunctive adverbs or adverbial phrases. Though some speakers might still say dus wij koken, the version dus koken wij sounds more fluent in standard Dutch.

What does een maaltijd literally mean, and does it differ from eten?

Een maaltijd literally means “a meal.” It refers to the event or occasion of eating various prepared foods. Eten can mean “food” in a general sense or the act of eating. So een maaltijd koken specifically means “to cook a meal,” while eten koken could be interpreted more abstractly as “cooking food.”