Breakdown of Tom neemt een korte video op tijdens de les Nederlands.
Tom
Tom
kort
short
tijdens
during
een
a, an
Nederlands
Dutch
de les
the lesson
opnemen
to record
de video
the video
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Questions & Answers about Tom neemt een korte video op tijdens de les Nederlands.
Why is the verb split into neemt and op rather than written together as neemtop or opneemt in one piece?
Because opnemen is a separable verb in Dutch. In main clauses the verb prefix op detaches and moves to the end of the clause, while the conjugated part (neemt) stays in second position. That’s why you get Tom neemt … op.
Why does korte end with -e instead of remaining kort?
Dutch adjectives take an -e when they precede a noun of common gender (a “de-word”) that has an article (definite or indefinite). Here video is a common-gender noun with the article een, so kort becomes korte: een korte video.
Why do we say de les Nederlands instead of de Nederlandse les?
In Dutch you refer to school subjects by naming the subject itself: les Nederlands, les Engels, les wiskunde, etc. Using Nederlandse les would mean “a lesson that is Dutch in nature” rather than “the Dutch lesson” as a subject.
Can we move tijdens de les Nederlands to a different position in the sentence?
Yes. Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule. You could start with the time phrase:
Tijdens de les Nederlands neemt Tom een korte video op.
The finite verb neemt still occupies the second slot.
Could we use a different preposition instead of tijdens?
Absolutely. You could say in de les Nederlands (“in the Dutch lesson”) or gedurende de les Nederlands (more formal). tijdens is simply the most common way to express “during.”
Why is the sentence in the present tense rather than past or future?
Dutch uses the present tense to describe actions happening right now or habitual actions. Here it indicates what Tom is doing at the moment—he is recording a short video.
Could we say Tom neemt een kort filmpje op instead of een korte video?
Yes. filmpje is a diminutive neuter noun (het filmpje). Before a singular neuter noun with the indefinite article een, the adjective remains uninflected, so you would say een kort filmpje.