Breakdown of Wij krijgen dorst na het hardlopen in het park.
wij
we
in
in
het park
the park
na
after
dorst krijgen
to get thirsty
het hardlopen
the running
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Questions & Answers about Wij krijgen dorst na het hardlopen in het park.
Why do we use Wij here, and can we say We krijgen dorst instead?
Wij is the full form of the first‐person plural pronoun and can add emphasis or formality. In everyday spoken Dutch, native speakers often use the shortened form we, so We krijgen dorst is perfectly natural. Both mean “we get thirsty,” but wij is a bit more emphatic or formal.
Why do we say krijgen dorst instead of using an adjective like dorstig?
In Dutch, sensations such as thirst, hunger, or cold are commonly expressed with krijgen + noun (we krijgen dorst = “we get thirst”). The adjective dorstig means “thirsty” and is used with worden or zijn, for example we worden dorstig (“we become thirsty”) or we zijn dorstig (“we are thirsty”). However, we krijgen dorst is more idiomatic and widely used than we worden dorstig.
What is het hardlopen and why is there het before hardlopen?
In Dutch, you can turn an infinitive into a noun by adding het before it. het hardlopen literally means “the running.” After na (which requires a noun or noun phrase), you need het hardlopen to say “after the running,” i.e. “after running.”
Can we drop het and just say na hardlopen?
Informally, you might hear na hardlopen, but according to standard Dutch grammar you should include het: na het hardlopen. This makes it clear that hardlopen is being used as a noun.
Why is it in het park and not in park or op het park?
Park is a neuter noun in Dutch, so when you refer to a specific park you use the definite article het, giving in het park. You cannot say in park because Dutch generally requires an article with singular countable nouns. op het park would imply “on top of the park” and is not used for being inside or within a park.
Why is the phrase na het hardlopen in het park placed at the end of the sentence?
Dutch word order often follows the sequence: subject + verb + adverbials of time (when) + adverbials of place (where). Here, na het hardlopen (time) and in het park (place) naturally come after the verb krijgen. Placing them at the end keeps the sentence clear and flowing.
Can we express the same idea with nadat and a subordinate clause?
Yes. You could say Nadat we in het park hebben hardgelopen, krijgen we dorst. This uses nadat + present perfect (hebben hardgelopen). It’s grammatically correct and slightly more formal, but the original nominalized construction (na het hardlopen in het park) is more concise and common in everyday speech.