Breakdown of Hij keert morgen terug naar het oude huis.
hij
he
morgen
tomorrow
naar
to
het huis
the house
oud
old
terugkeren
to return
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Questions & Answers about Hij keert morgen terug naar het oude huis.
Why is terug separated from keert and placed where it is?
In Dutch terugkeren is a separable verb. In a main clause the finite part (keert) occupies the second position, and the prefix (terug) detaches and moves toward the end of the clause. That’s why you see keert early on and terug later.
Why does the sentence use naar before het oude huis?
Terugkeren (to return) requires naar plus a destination, much like English “return to.” The preposition naar introduces the place to which someone returns.
Why is morgen placed after keert instead of at the very beginning?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb in second position) and typically use a Time-Manner-Place sequence in the middle field. After the finite verb (keert), a time adverb like morgen naturally comes next.
Can I move morgen to the front of the sentence? What changes?
Yes. Putting morgen first moves it into position one. You still need the verb in position two, so the subject follows the verb. You get:
Morgen keert hij terug naar het oude huis.
Why is the article het used instead of de before oude huis?
Dutch has two definite articles: de for common-gender nouns and het for neuter nouns. Huis is neuter, so it takes het.
Why does oud receive an -e ending in het oude huis?
When an adjective directly precedes any definite article (de or het), it gets an -e ending regardless of gender or number. Hence oud becomes oude.
How can I replace naar het oude huis with a pronoun?
Use er to stand in for naar + location. The sentence becomes:
Hij keert er morgen terug.
Could I use komen instead of keren (for “return”)?
Yes. Terugkomen is very common in everyday Dutch (“come back”). You can say:
Hij komt morgen terug naar het oude huis.
Both convey “He returns tomorrow to the old house,” though terugkeren feels slightly more formal or literary.
Why is the present tense keert used for a future event? Can I use a true future form?
In Dutch it’s normal to use the present tense with a clear time adverb for near-future events. If you want a marked future, you can use zal plus the infinitive:
Hij zal morgen terugkeren naar het oude huis.