Tom gaat pas morgen leren koken.

Tom

Breakdown of Tom gaat pas morgen leren koken.

• gaan: to go
• leren: to learn
• morgen: tomorrow

Questions & Answers about Tom gaat pas morgen leren koken.

What does the construction gaat leren express in Tom gaat pas morgen leren koken?

The combination gaan + infinitive is a periphrastic future in Dutch. It tells us that Tom’s cooking lessons are planned for the future—much like English “is going to learn to cook.” While Dutch can use the simple present for future (“Tom leert morgen koken”), gaat leren adds a sense of intention or arrangement.

Why is there no te before leren?

After verbs like gaan, helpen, laten, etc., the following verb appears without te. These are called the “bare infinitive” constructions. So you say gaat leren (not gaat te leren) and helpt koken (not helpt te koken).

What does pas mean here?

In this context pas means “not until” or “only.” It delays the action to tomorrow. So Tom gaat pas morgen leren koken literally means “Tom is not going to learn to cook until tomorrow.”

Why is pas placed before morgen rather than after?

Dutch places focusing particles like pas directly before the time expression they modify. By saying pas morgen, you clearly link “not until” with “tomorrow.” Putting it after (morgen pas) is possible in very colloquial speech but sounds less idiomatic and may weaken the emphasis.