Op het strand kun je ontspannen en luisteren naar de golven.

On the beach, you can relax and listen to the waves.

Breakdown of Op het strand kun je ontspannen en luisteren naar de golven.

• naar: to
• en: and
• luisteren: to listen
• ontspannen: to relax
• kunnen: can
• je: you
• op: on
• het strand: the beach
• de golf: the wave

Questions & Answers about Op het strand kun je ontspannen en luisteren naar de golven.

What is the function of Op het strand at the beginning of the sentence?

It’s a prepositional phrase that indicates location—specifically, it tells you that the actions (relaxing and listening) take place on the beach.

Why does the sentence use the order kun je instead of je kunt?

In Dutch, when a sentence begins with an adverbial or prepositional phrase (in this case, Op het strand), subject-verb inversion occurs. This means the modal verb (kun) comes before the subject (je), which is why kun je is used.

How do the verbs ontspannen and luisteren function in this sentence?

Both ontspannen (to relax) and luisteren (to listen) are in their infinitive forms. They follow the modal construction kun je, which requires the main verbs to remain in the infinitive. They are connected by en to show that you can do both actions.

What role does the prepositional phrase naar de golven play?

Naar de golven specifies the target or object of the action luisteren. It literally means to the waves, clarifying that you listen to the sound of the waves.

Why are the main verbs not conjugated after the modal verb?

In Dutch, after a modal verb like kun, the subsequent main verbs are kept in the infinitive form. This is similar to the English construction can relax or can listen, where the base form of the verb follows the modal.

What is the function of the conjunction en in this sentence?

The conjunction en connects the two activities (ontspannen and luisteren) to indicate that both are possible actions that you can engage in on the beach.