Wij kopen een plattegrond zodat we de stad makkelijk kunnen verkennen.

We buy a city map so that we can explore the city easily.

Breakdown of Wij kopen een plattegrond zodat we de stad makkelijk kunnen verkennen.

• wij: we
• kopen: to buy
• zodat: so that
• kunnen: can
• een: a, an
• de stad: the city
• makkelijk: easy
• de plattegrond: the map
• verkennen: to explore

Questions & Answers about Wij kopen een plattegrond zodat we de stad makkelijk kunnen verkennen.

Why does the sentence start with Wij kopen instead of just Kopen wij or omitting wij entirely?

Dutch normally follows a Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) word order in main clauses.

• Wij kopen is simply “We buy.”
• Kopen wij…? would invert verb and subject, which turns it into a question (“Do we buy…?”).
• You can omit wij in casual speech and say We kopen een plattegrond…, or even drop it entirely if context is clear. But in writing or to emphasise the subject, you use Wij.

What is the role of zodat here? Could I use om… te instead?

Zodat is a subordinating conjunction meaning “so that” or “in order that,” introducing a purpose clause. In subordinate clauses, the verb(s) go to the very end.
Alternative with om… te:

• We kopen een plattegrond om de stad makkelijk te verkennen.
  Here om
  • infinitive clause also expresses purpose, but the structure is different: you use te before the main verb and there is no subordinating-verb‐final rule (the verb cluster stays in place).

Why are makkelijk and kunnen placed before verkennen? Can their order change?

In the subordinate clause introduced by zodat, all verbs go to the end. When you have a modal verb (kunnen) + main verb (verkennen), the typical order is:

1. adverb (makkelijk)
2. modal (kunnen)
3. main verb (verkennen)

So you get makkelijk kunnen verkennen.
You could move the adverb earlier in the clause for emphasis: zodat we makkelijk de stad kunnen verkennen, but you cannot split kunnen verkennen or place makkelijk between kunnen and verkennen.

What’s the difference between makkelijk and gemakkelijk?

Both mean “easy” or “easily.”

• Makkelijk is more colloquial, shorter and very common in speech.
• Gemakkelijk is a bit more formal or written.
  Semantically they’re interchangeable: makkelijk kunnen verkennen = gemakkelijk kunnen verkennen.

Why do we say de stad instead of een stad?

• De stad is definite: “the city.” Here you’re referring to a specific city you want to explore.
• Een stad (“a city”) would imply any city in general, which sounds odd if you already have one particular city in mind.
  Also, stad is a common‐gender noun in Dutch, so it takes the article de.

What exactly is a plattegrond? Are there other words for it?

Plattegrond literally means “flat map” or “plan,” and usually refers to a detailed map or layout of a locality (often a city or park).
Synonyms include:

• Stadsplattegrond (city map)
• Kaart (map, more general)
• Plattegrond van de stad (map of the city)

Why is the verb cluster at the very end of the zodat clause, while in English we say “so that we can explore the city easily” without moving the verbs?

In Dutch subordinate clauses introduced by any subordinating conjunction (like zodat, omdat, dat, terwijl), the conjugated verb or verb cluster goes to the end of the clause. In this case:
…zodat we de stad makkelijk kunnen verkennen.
Here you have two verbs (modal + main), and both move to the clause end in the order kunnen verkennen (with the adverb right before).

Could we use we instead of wij, and is there any nuance?

Yes. Wij and we both mean “we.”

• Wij is the full subject pronoun, slightly more emphatic or formal.
• We is the reduced form, very common in spoken Dutch.
  In writing or to add emphasis on the subject, you might choose wij, but both are grammatically correct.