Breakdown of De prijs kan na het feest dalen.
na
after
kunnen
can
het feest
the party
de prijs
the price
dalen
to drop
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Questions & Answers about De prijs kan na het feest dalen.
Why does dalen appear at the end of the sentence?
In Dutch main clauses with a modal verb (here kan), the finite verb occupies the second position and the main (infinite) verb goes to the very end. So you get: De prijs (1) – kan (2) – … – dalen (end).
Why is there no te before dalen?
With modal verbs like kunnen, moeten, mogen, willen, etc., you always use the bare infinitive. You never insert te between the modal and the infinitive.
Why does kan come right after de prijs?
Dutch is a V2 (verb-second) language. In a main clause the finite verb must be in position 2. Here de prijs is in position 1, so kan follows in position 2.
What role does na het feest play in this sentence?
Na het feest is a time adverbial (a prepositional phrase) that tells you when the price can drop. It modifies the verb phrase kan dalen.
Can I put na het feest at the very beginning?
Yes. If you front that time expression you trigger inversion of subject and finite verb: Na het feest kan de prijs dalen.
Could I use zal instead of kan?
Absolutely. Zal expresses a future certainty rather than possibility: De prijs zal na het feest dalen. The word order stays the same (V2): subject, finite verb, adverbial, infinitive.
Why not use verlagen instead of dalen?
Verlagen is transitive (“to lower something”). Dalen is intransitive (“to go down by itself”). Saying De prijs kan verlagen would be ungrammatical—you’d need an object in a transitive construction.
Why do we say na het feest and not na feest?
With prepositions like na that refer to a specific event, Dutch normally requires a definite article. Hence het feest rather than just feest.
Can I make this passive, like De prijs kan na het feest gedaald worden?
Although grammatically possible, it sounds odd because dalen is intransitive. Passive Dutch typically uses a transitive verb, e.g.: De prijs kan na het feest verlaagd worden.
What if I want to express that the price is very likely (but not certain) to drop?
You wouldn’t use moeten (that implies necessity). Instead, you can add a probability adverb: De prijs zal waarschijnlijk na het feest dalen.