Wij moeten elke dag tien minuten lezen.

we

Breakdown of Wij moeten elke dag tien minuten lezen.

• lezen: to read
• elke: every
• de dag: the day
• moeten: must
• tien: ten
• de minuut: the minute

Questions & Answers about Wij moeten elke dag tien minuten lezen.

Why does the sentence use moeten instead of another verb?

Moeten in Dutch is a modal verb that means "must" or "have to." In this sentence, it indicates an obligation or necessity to read every day for ten minutes.

Is there a difference between wij and we in Dutch?

Both wij and we mean "we" in English. Wij is the full form, and we is the reduced form. In casual speech, Dutch speakers often use we, while wij is used more formally or for emphasis.

Why do we use elke dag here, and can it be replaced with something else?

Elke dag translates to "every day." It emphasizes the daily frequency. You could replace it with iedere dag, which also means "every day," and the sentence would still have the same meaning.

Why is tien minuten placed after elke dag?

In Dutch, time expressions often follow the indication of frequency in a sentence like this. So, elke dag comes first, describing how often, and tien minuten follows as a duration. Dutch word order allows for time-related phrases to be placed either at the beginning or after the main subject/verb, but typically the frequency (elke dag) comes before length of time (tien minuten).

Is lezen always used this way, or do we need te before it sometimes?

When using a modal verb like moeten, you usually use the base form of the verb without te. For example, Wij moeten lezen ("We must read"). If there is no modal verb, or if you're using certain other constructions, you might see te before the verb (for instance, Wij proberen te lezen, "We try to read"). Here, lezen directly follows moeten because that’s the standard structure with Dutch modals.