Breakdown of Elke voetstap in de modder herinnert ons eraan het waterfilter te gebruiken.
in
in
elke
every
gebruiken
to use
ons
us
de voetstap
the footstep
de modder
the mud
herinneren
to remind
het waterfilter
the water filter
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Questions & Answers about Elke voetstap in de modder herinnert ons eraan het waterfilter te gebruiken.
What does elke mean, and why is it used here instead of alle?
Elke means “every” or “each,” and it always goes with a singular noun (here voetstap). You use alle only with plural nouns (for example, alle voetstappen = “all footprints”). Since the sentence speaks of each single footprint, elke is the right choice.
Why is the noun modder preceded by de in in de modder, and could we omit the article?
In Dutch most singular common‐gender (de-words) nouns require an article (de or een) unless they’re very abstract or used in fixed expressions. Here you’re talking about “the mud” underfoot, so you say in de modder (“in the mud”). Dropping the article (in modder) would sound ungrammatical in everyday Dutch.
How does herinnert ons eraan work? Is herinneren a separable verb, and why does er come before aan?
- herinneren is an inseparable verb (the prefix her- stays attached).
- Its pattern is herinneren iemand aan iets (“remind someone of something”).
- When that “something” is a longer phrase or action, you replace it with the pronominal adverb eraan (“of it/to it”) and then tack the full phrase onto the end.
So:- finite verb: herinnert
- direct object: ons
- pronominal adverb: eraan
- full infinitive clause: het waterfilter te gebruiken
What is the pronominal adverb er in eraan, and what does it stand for?
er is a placeholder that refers back to “the action of using the water filter.” In combination with the preposition aan, er + aan (= eraan) replaces the object of herinneren aan. It lets you avoid repeating the whole phrase in the verb’s immediate slot.
Why does the infinitive clause te gebruiken appear at the end, and how does this te + infinitive construction work?
Dutch places non-finite verbs (infinitives) and their particles (te in this case) at the end of the clause. Here, herinneren … eraan iets te doen is the full pattern, meaning “to remind someone to do something.” So you finish the sentence with het waterfilter te gebruiken (“to use the water filter”).
What’s the difference between herinneren iemand aan iets and zich herinneren?
- herinneren iemand aan iets is transitive: you remind someone of something.
- zich herinneren iets is reflexive: you remember something yourself.
In our sentence, the footprints are doing the reminding, so we need the transitive form.
There’s no moeten (“must/should”) in the sentence. How is the sense of obligation expressed?
The verb herinneren already carries the idea of “making sure we do it.” If you wanted to be more explicit, you could turn the infinitive clause into a dat-clause with moeten:
Elke voetstap in de modder herinnert ons eraan dat we het waterfilter moeten gebruiken.
But in practice, herinnert ons eraan het waterfilter te gebruiken suffices to convey “it reminds us (that we should) use the water filter.”