Breakdown of Door een onverwachte regenbui rent iedereen naar binnen.
naar
to
een
a, an
iedereen
everyone
rennen
to run
binnen
inside
door
because of
onverwacht
unexpected
de regenbui
the rain shower
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Door een onverwachte regenbui rent iedereen naar binnen.
What does door mean in Door een onverwachte regenbui rent iedereen naar binnen?
Here door is a causal preposition meaning because of or due to, not its typical spatial sense through. It marks the cause of the action.
Why does onverwachte end with -e instead of staying as onverwacht?
In Dutch, adjectives get an -e ending when they precede a noun that has an article (definite de/het or indefinite een). Since onverwachte modifies regenbui and follows the article een, it takes the -e ending.
Why is the article een used instead of de or het before onverwachte regenbui?
Because the rain shower is new, unspecified information. Een is the indefinite article for introducing non-specific nouns. If you referred to a particular rain shower already known, you would use the definite article de.
Why does the verb rent come before the subject iedereen?
Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second slot. Since Door een onverwachte regenbui is in the first slot, the verb rent moves to the second slot and the subject iedereen follows.
Is iedereen singular or plural, and which verb form does it take?
Although iedereen refers to all people, it is grammatically singular and always takes a singular verb form: iedereen rent.
What is the difference between naar binnen and binnen?
Naar binnen is a directional phrase meaning into the inside/indoors, used with movement verbs. Binnen alone indicates location (inside), not direction.
Can you use omdat instead of door to express the cause, and what changes then?
Yes. Omdat is a conjunction, so it introduces a subordinate clause and pushes the verb to the end. For example:
Omdat het onverwacht begon te regenen, rent iedereen naar binnen.
Notice begon appears at the end of the subordinate clause, and the main clause still obeys V2.
How do you pronounce regenbui, and where does the stress fall?
Regenbui is pronounced [ˈreːɣə(n)ˌbœy], with the primary stress on the first syllable (RE-genbui).