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Questions & Answers about Behalve op zondag is de bibliotheek gewoon open tot negen uur.
What does Behalve op zondag mean here?
Behalve means “except” or “apart from,” and op zondag means “on Sunday.” Together, Behalve op zondag translates to “except on Sunday.”
Why is Behalve op zondag at the beginning of the sentence?
Dutch allows you to start a sentence with an adverbial phrase like Behalve op zondag to emphasize that information. When you do this, the finite verb (is) still needs to be in second position.
What is the V2 word order rule in Dutch?
In a Dutch main clause, the finite verb must be the second element. Since Behalve op zondag occupies the first position here, is comes next, followed by the subject (de bibliotheek).
Why is there no article before open?
Here, open functions as a predicative adjective after the verb zijn (to be). Predicative adjectives don’t require an article: e.g., De bibliotheek is open.
What does gewoon add to open?
Gewoon is an adverb meaning “normally” or “as usual.” It emphasizes that, apart from Sunday, the library follows its regular hours until nine o’clock.
Why is tot negen uur placed at the end of the sentence?
Tot negen uur (“until nine o’clock”) is a time adverbial. Dutch typically places time expressions at the end of the clause for clarity and flow.
Is uur necessary after negen, or can you just say tot negen?
In informal speech, you can drop uur and say tot negen, and people will understand. In formal or written Dutch, including uur makes the time explicit.
Why do we say op zondag with op, and why is zondag singular?
Dutch uses the preposition op with days of the week. Even when referring to every Sunday, the singular zondag is used without an article.
Can you say Behalve zondag without op, or replace gewoon with another word?
Some speakers might informally say Behalve zondag, but the standard form is behalve op zondag. You could replace gewoon with normaal or gewoonlijk, but gewoon is most common in everyday speech.
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