Breakdown of Jij doet je schoenen aan voordat je gaat fietsen.
jij
you
gaan
to go
je
you
voordat
before
je
your
fietsen
to cycle
de schoen
the shoe
aandoen
to put on
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Questions & Answers about Jij doet je schoenen aan voordat je gaat fietsen.
What is a separable verb and why is aandoen split in this sentence?
In Dutch, some verbs have prefixes that detach in main clauses—these are called separable verbs. Aandoen (“to put on”) is one of them. In a simple statement, the finite form (doet) stays in the second position (V2), and the separable prefix (aan) moves to the end: Jij doet je schoenen aan.
Why use jij in the first clause and je in the second?
Jij and je both mean “you,” but jij is the stressed form, used for emphasis or contrast. In the main clause we use Jij at the start if we want to highlight who’s doing something. In the subordinate clause introduced by voordat, speakers often prefer the unstressed je for flow and economy.
Why is the word order in voordat je gaat fietsen different from the main clause?
Because voordat is a subordinating conjunction (“before”), it sends all verbs to the end of its clause. Here gaat (finite) and fietsen (infinitive) come last: voordat je gaat fietsen.
Why do we say gaat fietsen instead of just fietst?
Dutch uses gaan + infinitive to express an intended or soon-to-happen action, similar to English “going to.” Jij gaat fietsen means “you’re going to cycle,” whereas jij fietst simply means “you cycle” (habitually or right now).
Why is voordat used here and not voor?
Voor on its own is a preposition and cannot directly introduce a clause with a verb. When you want to say “before you [do something],” you need the conjunction voordat. You could use voor only before a noun: voor het fietsen (“before cycling” as a noun).
How would you turn this sentence into a question?
In Dutch yes/no-questions, you invert the subject and finite verb. Starting with doe:
Doe jij je schoenen aan voordat je gaat fietsen?
Literally: “Do you put on your shoes before you go cycling?”
How do you conjugate aandoen and gaan for other subjects like ik, hij, and wij?
Here’s a quick overview in the present tense:
- ik doe…aan, ik ga fietsen
- jij doet…aan, jij gaat fietsen
- hij/zij doet…aan, hij/zij gaat fietsen
- wij doen…aan, wij gaan fietsen
Is there a difference between Jij doet je schoenen aan and Je doet je schoenen aan?
No change in meaning—both mean “you put on your shoes.” The version with jij adds emphasis on you, while je is the neutral, unstressed pronoun.