Gooi dat oude papier weg, alsjeblieft.

Please throw that old paper away.

Breakdown of Gooi dat oude papier weg, alsjeblieft.

• oud: old
• dat: that
• het papier: the paper
• weggooien: to throw away
• alsjeblieft: please

Questions & Answers about Gooi dat oude papier weg, alsjeblieft.

What does Gooi mean, and how is the imperative formed here?

Gooi is the informal second-person singular imperative of the verb gooien (to throw). To form the Dutch imperative for jij (you informal), you generally:

• Take the infinitive gooien
• Remove -en, leaving the stem gooi
• Use that stem as the command: Gooi!

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Why is weg separated from gooi, and what role does it play?

Weggooien is a separable verb composed of the prefix weg (away) and the verb gooien (to throw). In a main clause:

• The finite verb (gooi) appears in second position
• The separable prefix (weg) moves to the end of the clause
  Together they mean “throw away.”

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Why is there no subject pronoun like jij or u in the sentence?

In Dutch imperatives, the subject is usually omitted because it’s clear you’re addressing “you.” If you wanted to emphasize who, you could say:

• Gooi jij dat oude papier weg, alsjeblieft?
  But the standard form simply starts with the verb: Gooi …

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Why is dat used for “that” instead of die?

Dutch demonstratives agree with the noun’s gender/number:

• Dat for singular neuter nouns (het-words) → het papier → dat papier
• Die for common gender (de-words) and all plurals → die tafel, die papieren

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Why is it oude papier and not oud papier?

Adjectives in Dutch take -e when preceded by a definite article (de/het) or a demonstrative (die/dat). Here we have dat, so the adjective inflects:

• dat oude papier
  Without any article or demonstrative before a neuter noun, you would say oud papier.

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What does alsjeblieft mean, and can it appear elsewhere in the sentence?

Alsjeblieft literally “if you please” and functions as please. In imperatives it commonly goes at the end:

• Gooi dat weg, alsjeblieft.
  You can also start with it for extra politeness:
• Alsjeblieft, gooi dat weg.
  In formal speech or writing, use alstublieft.

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Is the comma before alsjeblieft required?

No, the comma is optional. It marks a pause or slight emphasis:

• With comma: Gooi dat papier weg, alsjeblieft.
• Without comma: Gooi dat papier weg alsjeblieft.

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How does Dutch word order work in this command?

A Dutch main clause (even an imperative) follows:

1. Finite verb second position (imperative counts as first) → Gooi
2. Object(s) next → dat oude papier
3. Separable prefix last → weg
4. Optional particles like alsjeblieft after that.