Breakdown of We houden altijd een kleine voorraad water in huis.
Questions & Answers about We houden altijd een kleine voorraad water in huis.
In Dutch main clauses the finite verb must occupy the second position (the “V2 rule”). Since we (the subject) is first and houden (the finite verb) is second, any frequency adverb like altijd follows right after the verb. So the order is:
1) Subject (we)
2) Finite verb (houden)
3) Adverb of frequency (altijd)
4) Object (rest of the sentence)
If you really wanted to start with altijd, you could—then houden still comes second:
“Altijd houden we een kleine voorraad water in huis.”
But in neutral word order with the subject up front, altijd follows the verb.
Each verb has its own nuance:
- houden in the fixed phrase iets in huis houden means “to keep something in the house” as an ongoing stock.
- hebben simply means “to have” without emphasizing storage or reserve.
- bewaren is more formal and suggests “preserving” or “storing” (often for perishables).
For everyday talk about keeping a supply at home, houden is the most idiomatic choice.
Literally, een kleine voorraad means “a small supply.”
Dutch adjectives take an -e ending when they precede a singular de-word (common gender) with any article—definite or indefinite. Since voorraad is a de-word and we have “een,” the adjective must be kleine (not klein).
Definitely—just keep the V2 rule in mind. Examples:
- Altijd houden we een kleine voorraad water in huis. (Emphasizes frequency.)
- In huis houden we altijd een kleine voorraad water. (Emphasizes location.)
Some alternatives:
- reserve (you might even say reservevoorraad for extra clarity)
- stock (an English loanword used informally by bilingual speakers)
However, voorraad remains the standard, most natural term in Dutch.