Breakdown of De stewardess vraagt iedereen om de gordel om te houden tot na de landing.
om
for
na
after
iedereen
everyone
houden
to keep
vragen
to ask
tot
until
de stewardess
the stewardess
de gordel
the seat belt
de landing
the landing
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Questions & Answers about De stewardess vraagt iedereen om de gordel om te houden tot na de landing.
Why are there two instances of om in vraagt iedereen om de gordel om te houden?
The first om is part of the fixed verb construction iemand vragen om iets te doen (to ask someone to do something). The second om belongs to the infinitive clause om te houden, which is how you form an infinitive (purpose/action) in Dutch. They look the same but have different grammatical roles.
What exactly is the structure iemand vragen om iets te doen?
It works like this:
- iemand = the person you address (here iedereen)
- vragen = the verb “ask”
- om
- infinitive = introduces what you are asking them to do (om de gordel om te houden)
So De stewardess vraagt iedereen om de gordel om te houden literally means “The stewardess asks everyone to keep the seatbelt on.”
- infinitive = introduces what you are asking them to do (om de gordel om te houden)
What does de gordel omhouden mean, and how does it differ from gordel omdoen or gordel vastmaken?
- gordel omdoen = to put the seatbelt on (fasten it)
- gordel vastmaken = to fasten/secure the seatbelt
- gordel omhouden = to keep the seatbelt on (keep it fastened)
Here, the stewardess isn’t just asking you to fasten it once; she wants you to keep it fastened until after landing.
Is omhouden a separable verb, and why is it written as om te houden here?
Yes, omhouden is a separable verb meaning “to keep wearing.” In a normal sentence you’d say Ik houd de gordel om (I keep the belt on). When you use the infinitive with te, you split it and insert te: om te houden.
Why is the verb vraagt in the singular form?
The subject is de stewardess (singular). The verb must agree with de stewardess, so we use vraagt. iedereen is the object here, not the subject.
Could we rewrite this sentence using dat instead of om te?
Yes, you could say:
De stewardess vraagt dat iedereen de gordel omhoudt tot na de landing.
Note that then you must conjugate omhouden to omhoudt, because iedereen (singular) becomes the subject of that clause. Both versions work, but vragen om te is more common for giving instructions.
What does tot na de landing mean, and why include na?
- tot = until
- na de landing = after the landing
tot na de landing means “until after the landing.” If you said only tot de landing, it would mean “until the moment of landing,” but they want you to keep it on even a bit beyond touchdown, until it’s safe to remove.
Why is the noun landing used with de, and could you say het landen?
landing is a standard noun (“the landing”), so you need an article: de landing. Although Dutch sometimes uses the verbal noun het + infinitive (like het landen), it’s rare here. na het landen would sound unusual; airlines always say na de landing.