Learn Hardcore Dutch: Overdag werk ik op kantoor, maar ’s avonds studeer ik Nederlands. - During the day I work at the office, but in the evening I study Dutch.

Overdag means during the day or in the daytime. In Dutch it’s a fixed adverbial compound spelled as a single word. Many time expressions function this way rather than being split into multiple words.

What does ’s avonds mean, and why is there an apostrophe?

’s Avonds means in the evening (in a habitual or general sense). The ’s is a contraction of the historical genitive article des (from des avonds). Dutch retains this contraction in time expressions like ’s ochtends, ’s middags, ’s nachts, etc.

Why does the verb werk come before the subject ik in the first clause?

Dutch main clauses follow a verb-second (V2) rule. When you start the sentence with an element other than the subject (here the adverbial overdag), the finite verb moves into second position and the subject follows in third. Hence: Overdag (1) werk (2) ik (3)…

Can I say Maar ik studeer ’s avonds Nederlands instead? Why front ’s avonds in the example?

Yes, Maar ik studeer ’s avonds Nederlands is grammatically correct. In the original, fronting ’s avonds (and inverting the verb) highlights the evening activity. If you start with maar, the contrast is emphasised first; fronting a time adverb shifts the focus onto that time period.

What’s the difference between vanavond and ’s avonds?

Vanavond means this evening (referring to the specific evening of today). ’s Avonds means in the evenings or during the evening hours habitually or generally.

Why is there no article before kantoor in op kantoor?

Op kantoor is a fixed locative phrase meaning at the office in a general, routine sense. In Dutch you omit the article in expressions like op school, op kantoor, op zee. To specify a particular office you would use an article and often in, for example in het kantoor van de baas.

Why is op used instead of in with kantoor?

Prepositions don’t always match English. For institutions and workplaces (school, office, university), Dutch uses op to mean at rather than in.

Why is Nederlands capitalized, and is it a noun or an adjective here?

Names of languages (and nationalities) are always capitalized in Dutch. Here Nederlands is a noun meaning the Dutch language, functioning as the direct object of studeer.

Is there a continuous aspect in Dutch like I am studying Dutch in the evening?

Standard Dutch uses the simple present for ongoing actions: ik studeer Nederlands. To emphasise the continuous aspect you can use zijn + aan het + infinitive, for example ik ben Nederlands aan het studeren, but it isn’t required for normal statements.