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Anna zal tijdens het feest haar geheim onthullen.

Anna zal tijdens het feest haar geheim onthullen.
Anna will reveal her secret during the party.
FromLesson 37inHardcore Dutch
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Questions & Answers about Anna zal tijdens het feest haar geheim onthullen.

What does zal mean here, and how do you use it to form the future tense?

Zal is the 3rd person singular form of zullen, which works as an auxiliary for the simple future. You form it by placing zullen in the present (zal/zul/…) plus the infinitive at the end. Structure:
• Anna (subject)
• zal (auxiliary in 2nd position)
• … onthullen (main verb, infinitive, at the end)

Why is zal in the second position in the sentence?

Dutch is a verb‐second (V2) language in main clauses. That means the finite verb (here zal) sits in the second slot:
1st slot: any element (subject, time phrase, object)
2nd slot: finite verb
… rest of sentence

Why is onthullen at the end of the sentence?
Whenever you have an auxiliary (like zal) or a modal verb, the main verb (onthullen) goes to the end as an infinitive. This is typical for compound tenses and future constructions in Dutch.
What does tijdens mean, and how do you use it?

Tijdens means during. It’s a preposition that must be followed by a noun phrase (with its article if needed). Examples:
• tijdens het feest = during the party
• tijdens de les = during the lesson
• tijdens de vakantie = during the holiday

Why do we say tijdens het feest and not just tijdens feest?
After tijdens you need a complete noun phrase. If the noun is countable, you must include its article. Here het feest is a countable, specific event, so you always say tijdens het feest.
Why is it het feest and not de feest?
In Dutch, nouns are either de-words (common gender) or het-words (neuter). Feest is neuter, so it takes het. If you’re unsure of a noun’s gender, check a dictionary or learn it as you go.
Why is there no article before geheim (secret)?
When you use a possessive pronoun (mijn, jouw, zijn, haar, etc.), it replaces the article. You never add het or een after a possessive. Hence haar geheim, not haar het geheim or haar een geheim.
How does the possessive pronoun haar work in this sentence?

Haar is the 3rd person singular feminine possessive pronoun (“her”). It agrees with the owner (Anna is female), not with the noun’s gender. It always precedes the noun and replaces the article: • haar geheim = her secret

Can you start the sentence with tijdens het feest, and what happens to the word order?

Yes. If you put the time phrase first, the finite verb still stays in 2nd position, so you invert subject and verb: • Tijdens het feest zal Anna haar geheim onthullen.
Fronting the time expression simply shifts emphasis to when it happens.

Could you use the present tense here to talk about the future?

Often yes. Dutch speakers frequently use present for scheduled future events: • Anna onthult tijdens het feest haar geheim.
This is perfectly natural when the future moment (the party) is already clear.

More from this lesson

de verrassingIk heb een kleine verrassing voor Anna.pasTom gaat pas morgen leren koken.onthullenDie verrassing wordt pas tijdens het diner onthuld.gemeenschappelijkverantwoordelijk
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