Wanneer wij klaar zijn, kan iedereen zich ontspannen en van de televisie genieten.

When we are ready, everyone can relax and enjoy the television.

Breakdown of Wanneer wij klaar zijn, kan iedereen zich ontspannen en van de televisie genieten.

• zijn: to be
• wij: we
• en: and
• ontspannen: to relax
• kunnen: can
• klaar: ready
• wanneer: when
• de televisie: the television
• genieten: to enjoy
• iedereen: everyone
• zich: oneself

Questions & Answers about Wanneer wij klaar zijn, kan iedereen zich ontspannen en van de televisie genieten.

Why is the verb placed at the end in wanneer wij klaar zijn?

In Dutch, when you introduce a subordinate clause with wanneer (or any other conjunction, such as als or omdat), the conjugated verb normally goes to the end of that clause. So in wanneer wij klaar zijn, the verb zijn moves to the end because it’s part of a dependent clause.

Why do we say zich ontspannen instead of just ontspannen?

Some verbs in Dutch are reflexive, meaning they often come with a reflexive pronoun like zich. Zich ontspannen literally translates to “relax oneself.” Using zich emphasizes that each person is relaxing himself or herself.

Why is it van de televisie genieten and not just de televisie genieten?

In Dutch, certain verbs like genieten (to enjoy) require a preposition. Genieten is typically followed by van. The phrase van de televisie genieten literally means “to enjoy from the television,” but idiomatically it means “to enjoy the television.”

Could we also use als instead of wanneer here?

Yes, you can often use als instead of wanneer for conditional or temporal meaning. Als is sometimes considered a bit less formal or more common in everyday speech, while wanneer can have a slightly more formal or direct tone. Both are acceptable in many contexts, but wanneer might feel clearer when referring to a future point in time.