Breakdown of Morgen moet ik naar de universiteit, maar er is een storing in de tram.
ik
I
zijn
to be
maar
but
morgen
tomorrow
naar
to
in
in
moeten
must
er
there
een
a, an
de universiteit
the university
de storing
the malfunction
de tram
the tram
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Questions & Answers about Morgen moet ik naar de universiteit, maar er is een storing in de tram.
Why is Morgen placed at the beginning of the sentence, and how does that affect word order?
In Dutch you can start a main clause with a time-expression like Morgen. When you put something else than the subject first, the finite verb must follow in second position, causing inversion. So you get Morgen moet ik instead of Ik moet morgen. Both are correct; fronting Morgen simply emphasizes “tomorrow.”
Why is it moet ik instead of ik moet, and when do you invert subject and verb?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must occupy the second slot. If you begin with an adverbial (Morgen), the verb (moet) comes next, then the subject (ik). If you start with the subject, no inversion is needed: Ik moet morgen....
What does moet mean here, and how do you use it?
Moet is the 1st-person singular of moeten, a modal verb meaning “to have to” or “must.” You pair it with an infinitive: moet ik naar de universiteit = “I have to go to the university.”
Why is it naar de universiteit? Could you omit the article or use a different preposition?
Direction verbs like gaan or modal phrases with movement use naar for “to.” Dutch requires an article before most singular countable nouns; universiteit is a de-woord, so you say de universiteit. You cannot drop the article as in English.
Why is universiteit a de-word?
Dutch nouns are either de-woorden or het-woorden. Universiteit belongs to the common gender group, so it always takes de in singular. Saying het universiteit would be incorrect.
What does storing mean, and why is it een storing?
Storing means “malfunction,” “breakdown,” or “service disruption.” It’s a countable noun here, so you use the indefinite article een because you’re introducing “a (certain) disruption,” not a specific one known to both speaker and listener.
Why is there an er in er is een storing?
Dutch uses the expletive er in existential clauses to express “there is/are.” It doesn’t have a direct English equivalent but is mandatory: Er is een storing = “There is a disruption.”
Why is it in de tram and not just de tram?
The preposition in denotes location or the context (“on/within the tram”) that’s affected by the malfunction. Without in, the sentence would lose that spatial relationship.
How does maar function in this sentence?
Maar means “but” and introduces a contrasting clause. It links your obligation to go with the problem in the tram service. In Dutch, maar typically precedes the clause it contrasts: ...universiteit, maar er is...