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Questions & Answers about Toen de zon opkwam, werd het uitzicht nog mooier.
Why is toen used here instead of als or wanneer?
In Dutch toen is used for a single, completed event in the past (equivalent to “when” in English). Als is for repeated or general conditions, and wanneer is mostly used in questions or when referring to unspecified times.
Why does the verb opkwam appear at the end of the clause Toen de zon opkwam?
Dutch subordinate clauses force the finite verb (and any separable prefix) to the very end. Here opkwam is the past tense of the separable verb opkomen (“to rise”), so it goes to the clause-final position.
What exactly is opkwam, and how do we form it?
Opkwam is the simple past (preterite) of opkomen (“to rise”). You take the past stem of komen (kwam) and attach the separable prefix op, giving kwam op which melds into opkwam in a subordinate clause.
Why does the main clause start with werd rather than het uitzicht?
Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule. Since the time clause Toen de zon opkwam occupies the first position, werd (the finite verb) must be second, pushing the subject het uitzicht into third position.
What tense and meaning does werd have here?
Werd is the simple past of worden. In this sentence worden means “to become,” so werd het uitzicht translates as “the view became.”
Why is het used before uitzicht?
Dutch nouns are classified as de-words (common gender) or het-words (neuter). Uitzicht is neuter, so it takes the definite article het: het uitzicht (“the view”).
How is the comparative mooier formed from mooi?
Short adjectives like mooi form the comparative by adding -er: mooi → mooier. Irregular forms are rare; most follow this simple pattern.
What role does nog play in nog mooier?
Here nog means “even,” intensifying the comparative. So nog mooier means “even more beautiful.” Without nog, mooier alone just means “more beautiful.”