Breakdown of Op het perron wacht een conducteur om onze kaartjes te controleren.
onze
our
om
for
een
a, an
controleren
to check
op
on
wachten
to wait
het kaartje
the ticket
het perron
the platform
de conducteur
the conductor
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Questions & Answers about Op het perron wacht een conducteur om onze kaartjes te controleren.
Why is the finite verb wacht placed before the subject een conducteur?
Because of the Dutch V2 (verb-second) rule: in a main clause the finite verb must be the second constituent. Since the sentence starts with Op het perron (the first constituent), the verb wacht comes next, and the subject een conducteur follows.
What function does Op het perron serve here?
It’s a locative adverbial phrase indicating where the action happens (“on the platform”). Op is the preposition and het perron is a neuter noun phrase.
Why is the noun perron accompanied by het instead of de?
Because perron is a neuter noun in Dutch, and all neuter singular nouns take het as their definite article.
What kind of clause is om onze kaartjes te controleren?
That’s a purpose clause (doelbijzin) introduced by om … te + infinitive. It expresses the reason why the conductor is waiting.
Can you explain the om … te construction in more detail?
Yes. om is a subordinating conjunction used for expressing purpose, and te controleren is the infinitive verb “to check.” Together they form one subordinate clause meaning “in order to check.”
Why is there no comma before om onze kaartjes te controleren?
In Dutch you rarely use a comma before short infinitive (doel) clauses. Commas are typically only added if the sentence becomes ambiguous or very long.
Why is it kaartjes here rather than kaarten?
kaartje is the diminutive form of kaart, commonly used for tickets. Its plural is kaartjes. kaarten usually refers to maps or playing/collecting cards.
Who is the subject of the infinitive clause om onze kaartjes te controleren?
The subject is implicitly the same as in the main clause, namely een conducteur, so it’s not repeated in the infinitive clause.
Could I rewrite the sentence by putting the subject first?
Yes. You can say Een conducteur wacht op het perron om onze kaartjes te controleren. This still obeys V2: subject first, then the verb, then the rest.
What’s the difference between conducteur and controleur in Dutch?
A conducteur is the official train employee (guard) who–among other duties–checks tickets. A controleur more generally means “inspector.” In railway contexts the terms overlap, but conducteur is the usual job title on trains.