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Questions & Answers about Ik ben nog niet klaar.
What is the function of nog in this sentence?
Nog means “still” or “yet.” When combined with niet, it conveys “not yet.” So Ik ben nog niet klaar literally means “I am still not ready.”
Why is niet placed before klaar and not immediately after ben?
In Dutch, you negate the part of the sentence you want to deny. Here you’re denying the adjective klaar (“ready”), so niet sits directly before klaar. Placing niet after ben would more generally negate the whole clause and sounds odd: you’d end up with Ik ben niet nog klaar, which is incorrect.
Is klaar an adjective or a verb here? Why isn’t it an infinitive?
Klaar is an adjective meaning “ready” or “finished.” It describes your state, so you use the copula zijn (“to be”) rather than an infinitive verb. If you wanted a verb, you could say Ik rond het werk nog niet af (“I’m not finishing the work yet”).
Can I say Ik ben niet nog klaar instead of Ik ben nog niet klaar?
No. The fixed order is nog niet when you mean “not yet.” Swapping them (niet nog) is ungrammatical in Dutch.
What’s the difference between Ik ben klaar and Ik ben nog niet klaar?
Ik ben klaar means “I am ready/finished.”
Ik ben nog niet klaar adds that you are “still not ready/finished” – you haven’t reached that state yet.
Could I use any other verb besides ben with klaar?
No. The standard expression is klaar zijn (“to be ready/finished”). Other verbs like staan or zitten won’t collocate with klaar in this sense.
How would I express the same idea in the past tense?
You simply put zijn in the past:
Ik was nog niet klaar – “I was not ready yet.”
Or in the future: Ik zal nog niet klaar zijn – “I will not be ready yet.”