Breakdown of Als het fornuis weer werkt, bakt Anna meteen verse koekjes.
Anna
Anna
weer
again
vers
fresh
werken
to work
als
when
meteen
immediately
het koekje
the cookie
het fornuis
the stove
bakken
to bake
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Questions & Answers about Als het fornuis weer werkt, bakt Anna meteen verse koekjes.
What part of speech is als and what does it mean here?
Als is a subordinating conjunction meaning when (or if). In this sentence it introduces the condition “when the stove works again.”
Why does the verb werkt appear at the end of Als het fornuis weer werkt?
In Dutch, a subordinate clause introduced by a conjunction like als pushes the finite verb to the end. The structure is:
- Conjunction (als)
- Subject (het fornuis)
- Adverb (weer)
- Verb (werkt)
Why is the finite verb bakt placed before the subject Anna in the main clause?
Because a subordinate clause comes first, the main clause follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. After the comma the finite verb (bakt) occupies the first position of the main clause, so the subject (Anna) follows.
Is the comma after werkt mandatory?
Dutch punctuation allows some flexibility, but it is standard practice to use a comma to separate an introductory subordinate clause from the main clause. Omitting it can make the sentence harder to read.
What does weer mean in this context?
Here weer means again, indicating that the stove was broken or out of order but is now working once more.
What role does meteen play, and why is it placed there?
Meteen means immediately or right away. It’s an adverb of time and typically appears between the finite verb/subject cluster and the object:
bakt Anna meteen verse koekjes
You could also say bakt Anna verse koekjes meteen to shift emphasis, but the given position is most common.
Why is the adjective verse written with an -e ending before koekjes?
In Dutch, adjectives preceding a plural noun always take the weak inflection -e, so koekjes (plural) requires verse (fresh).
What is the difference between koek and koekje, and why do we say koekjes?
Koekje is the diminutive of koek, formed with the suffix -je, making it a “little cookie.” The plural diminutive is koekjes, so the sentence talks about freshly baked cookies.
Why do we use het for fornuis?
Fornuis is a neuter noun in Dutch and therefore takes the definite article het, not de.