Breakdown of Na de picknick ruimen wij de tafels in het park op.
wij
we
in
in
de tafel
the table
het park
the park
na
after
de picknick
the picnic
opruimen
to clean up
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Questions & Answers about Na de picknick ruimen wij de tafels in het park op.
Why is opruimen split into ruimen … op in this sentence?
Dutch has a class of separable verbs composed of a base verb plus a particle (here op). In a main clause the finite verb must occupy the second position, so you place ruimen right after the time expression and move the particle op to the end of the clause.
Why does ruimen come before wij?
Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. When you begin the sentence with a time element like Na de picknick, the finite verb must be the second constituent. This forces the subject wij into third position.
Why do we use de before picknick instead of het?
Most borrowed nouns ending in –ck, –ing or –er are common gender (de-words). picknick falls into that group, so it takes de rather than het.
Why is the location expressed with in het park and not op het park?
You choose in when you are “inside” or “within” an area such as a park. op would suggest “on top of” something, which doesn’t fit here.
What exactly does ruimen op mean in this context?
The separable pair opruimen (here split into ruimen … op) means “to tidy up” or “to clear away.” So the sentence says that after the picnic we clear away the tables in the park.
What’s the difference between wij and we in Dutch?
Both mean “we.” wij is the full, stressed form (used for emphasis or formality), while we is the reduced, more colloquial form you’d hear in everyday speech.
Can we omit the pronoun and say Na de picknick ruimen de tafels in het park op?
No. Unlike some languages, Dutch requires an explicit subject pronoun in most declarative sentences. You must keep wij (or we) to indicate who does the action.
Can Na de picknick be moved to the end of the sentence, and what changes?
Yes. If you place the time phrase at the end, you no longer trigger inversion. The sentence becomes:
Wij ruimen de tafels in het park op na de picknick.
Here the finite verb ruimen stays in second position (after Wij).