Toen de taxi aankwam, stonden we al op de stoep te wachten.

When the taxi arrived, we were already waiting on the sidewalk.

Breakdown of Toen de taxi aankwam, stonden we al op de stoep te wachten.

• wij: we
• al: already
• toen: when
• op: on
• aankomen: to arrive
• de stoep: the sidewalk
• de taxi: the taxi
• staan te wachten: to be waiting

Questions & Answers about Toen de taxi aankwam, stonden we al op de stoep te wachten.

What does toen mean in this sentence and why not als or terwijl?

Toen here means “when” in the sense of a single moment in the past. Use toen for one‐off past events.

• Als is used for repeated events or general conditions (e.g. “Als ik tijd heb, ga ik lezen” = “Whenever I have time, I read”).
• Terwijl means “while” and emphasizes two actions happening at the same time (e.g. “Terwijl ik las, dronk ik koffie” = “While I was reading, I drank coffee”).

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Why is aankwam written as one word instead of kwam aan?

Aankomen is a separable‐prefix verb. In a main clause you separate it: “De taxi kwam aan.”
In a subordinate clause the verb moves to the end and the prefix rejoins the stem, so you get aankwam.

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Why does the verb aankwam appear at the end of the subordinate clause?

Dutch subordinate clauses trigger verb‐final word order. Any finite verb (here aankwam) goes to the very end of that clause.

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Why does stonden come before we in the main clause?

When you start a sentence with a subordinate clause (“Toen de taxi aankwam,”), the main clause undergoes inversion: the finite verb (stonden) takes first position, and the subject (we) follows.

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What is the meaning of al in we stonden al op de stoep te wachten?

Al means “already.” It tells you that the action of waiting had started before the taxi’s arrival.

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How does staan te wachten function? What does that construction do?

Dutch uses staan/zitten + te + infinitive to express a continuous action.

• staan te wachten = “to be standing (there) waiting”
  It’s like an English progressive: “we were already standing on the sidewalk waiting.”

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What does op de stoep literally translate to and how is it used?

Op de stoep means “on the sidewalk” (US) or “on the pavement” (UK). It’s the normal way to say “on the curb/footpath” in Dutch.

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Could I start the main clause differently, for example We stonden al op de stoep te wachten? How does word order change without the subordinate clause?

Yes. Without the opening toen clause you’d say:
We (subject) stonden (verb) al op de stoep te wachten.
Here the verb stays in second position after the subject, as in a normal main clause.

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Why is the simple past tense used (aankwam, stonden) instead of the perfect?

In Dutch storytelling or straightforward sequences of past events, the simple past is common.
You could use the perfect (“Toen de taxi is aangekomen, stonden wij al op de stoep te wachten”), but the simple past sounds more natural in written narration.