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Breakdown of Tijdens de rondleiding laat de gids ons de hele school zien.
de school
the school
tijdens
during
ons
us
de rondleiding
the tour
laten zien
to show
de gids
the guide
heel
entire
Questions & Answers about Tijdens de rondleiding laat de gids ons de hele school zien.
What does Tijdens de rondleiding mean, and what role does it play in the sentence?
Tijdens de rondleiding translates to "during the tour". It functions as an adverbial phrase indicating the time when the action takes place. Because it occupies the first position in the sentence, Dutch word order rules require that the finite verb appears in the second position.
Why are laat and zien separated, and how do they work together?
In Dutch, laten zien is a separable verb meaning "to show". The finite part laat is placed in the second position, while the non-finite part zien is pushed to the end of the sentence. This separation is a common feature of Dutch verb constructions when an introductory element (like an adverbial phrase) moves to the front.
What is the function of de gids in this sentence?
De gids means "the guide" and acts as the subject who performs the action. Despite the introductory adverbial phrase moving to the front, the subject follows the finite verb as part of the inverted word order common in Dutch sentences.
What is the role of ons, and why does it come before de hele school?
Ons is an indirect object pronoun meaning "us". In Dutch double-object constructions, when one object is a pronoun (especially as an indirect object), it is placed directly after the subject and finite verb. The full noun phrase de hele school (the direct object) follows later in the sentence.
How is the overall word order structured in this sentence?
The sentence follows standard Dutch syntax: an introductory element (Tijdens de rondleiding) occupies the first position, which forces the finite verb (laat) into the second slot. Next comes the subject (de gids), followed by the indirect object (ons) and then the direct object (de hele school). Finally, the non-finite verb component (zien) is placed at the end. This structure reflects the typical Dutch pattern for sentences with separable verbs and multiple objects.
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