Toen het regende, schudden wij het water van onze jassen voordat we naar binnen gingen.

When it rained, we shook the water off our coats before we went inside.

Breakdown of Toen het regende, schudden wij het water van onze jassen voordat we naar binnen gingen.

• het water: the water
• wij: we
• gaan: to go
• naar: to
• onze: our
• het: it
• van: from
• voordat: before
• de jas: the coat
• schudden: to shake
• toen: when
• regenen: to rain
• binnen: inside

Questions & Answers about Toen het regende, schudden wij het water van onze jassen voordat we naar binnen gingen.

What does Toen mean in this sentence?

Toen translates to "when" in this context. It introduces the time frame for the events, indicating that the actions took place during the rain.

Why is the verb schudden placed before the subject wij in the main clause?

In Dutch, when a sentence starts with an adverbial clause (here, Toen het regende), the finite verb in the main clause must come in the second position. This results in the inversion where schudden comes before the subject wij.

What function does the word voordat serve in the sentence?

Voordat is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause. It indicates that the action in the subordinate clause (going inside) happened after the action in the main clause (shaking the water off the coats).

Why is the finite verb gingen positioned at the end of the subordinate clause voordat we naar binnen gingen?

In Dutch subordinate clauses, the rule is to place the finite verb at the end of the clause. That’s why gingen appears at the end of voordat we naar binnen gingen.

How should we interpret the phrase het water van onze jassen?

This phrase literally means "the water from our coats." It describes the water that accumulated on the coats, which the speakers shook off before entering.

What tenses are used in this sentence, and why are they consistent?

All the verbs – regende (rained), schudden (shook), and gingen (went) – are in the simple past tense. This consistency reflects that all the actions described occurred in the past.