Breakdown of Na de klus vouwen we de lege dozen op voordat we ze bij het papier zetten.
wij
we
het papier
the paper
na
after
voordat
before
ze
them
zetten
to put
bij
with
de doos
the box
leeg
empty
opvouwen
to fold up
de klus
the job
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Questions & Answers about Na de klus vouwen we de lege dozen op voordat we ze bij het papier zetten.
Why is the separable verb opvouwen split into vouwen … op and why does op appear at the end of the sentence?
opvouwen is a separable verb in Dutch. In a main clause, the prefix (op) detaches from the verb stem (vouwen) and moves to the very end of the clause. Meanwhile the finite verb (vouwen) stays in second position (because of the V2 rule). That’s why you get:
Na de klus (1) – vouwen (2) – we (3) – de lege dozen (4) – op (5).
Why is the verb order vouwen we instead of we vouwen?
Dutch uses the V2 (verb-second) word order. When a sentence begins with something other than the subject (here Na de klus), the finite verb must come immediately after that element, and the subject follows the verb. Hence vouwen we rather than we vouwen.
Why does voordat send zetten to the end of its clause?
voordat is a subordinating conjunction. In Dutch, subordinate clauses introduced by words like omdat, terwijl, voordat, etc., place the finite verb at the very end of the clause. So you get:
… voordat we ze bij het papier zetten.
Why is the pronoun ze used here, and why is it placed before bij het papier zetten?
ze (lit. “them”) refers back to de lege dozen. In Dutch subordinate clauses, object pronouns precede the verb cluster. Here the only verb is zetten, so ze comes right before zetten.
What does Na de klus precisely mean?
Na de klus literally means after the job/task. klus refers to a (small) task or handy job. So the phrase sets the time frame: once the task is finished.
Why is it de lege dozen (plural) and why does lege end in -e?
dozen is plural because you’re talking about more than one box, and de is the definite article for plural nouns. In Dutch, adjectives preceding a noun with any article (definite or indefinite) take an -e ending: de lege dozen.
Why use bij het papier zetten instead of naast het papier zetten or op het papier zetten?
bij means by/next to and is the idiomatic preposition when placing something alongside a pile of paper (often for recycling). naast also means next to, but bij is more commonly used in this context. Saying op het papier zetten would mean you’re putting the boxes on top of the paper, which changes the meaning.