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Questions & Answers about Vroeger had ik geen verrekijker, dus mijn zicht op vogels was beperkt.
Why is the verb before the subject in Vroeger had ik geen verrekijker?
Because when a time adverbial like vroeger starts the sentence, Dutch requires inversion: the finite verb comes in second position and the subject follows it.
When do we use geen instead of niet?
Use geen to negate indefinite nouns that don’t have an article or a determiner. Here verrekijker is a countable noun without an article, so we negate it with geen rather than niet.
What is verrekijker in English?
Verrekijker means binoculars. It’s a compound of verre (far) and kijker (viewer), literally something that lets you view things from afar.
Why is it zicht op vogels rather than something like zien vogels?
In Dutch, the noun zicht takes the preposition op to indicate what you have a view of. The fixed expression is zicht op iets (view of something), not zien iets.
Can I omit mijn and say Zicht op vogels was beperkt?
Grammatically you could, but omitting mijn loses the possessive nuance. Mijn zicht op vogels makes it clear this was your personal field of view.
How does dus function in this sentence?
Dus is a coordinating conjunction meaning therefore or so. It links the lack of binoculars to the consequence (limited view) and typically appears in second position of its clause.
Why is beperkt at the end of the sentence?
Beperkt is a predicative adjective describing zicht op vogels. In a main clause with a simple past tense verb, the adjective regularly follows the verb and object toward the end.
Could I replace Vroeger with Toen here?
No, toen refers to a specific past moment and often introduces a subordinate clause. Vroeger is more general, meaning in earlier times, which fits the context better.