Breakdown of Wij wandelen ver in het bos om van de natuur te genieten.
wij
we
in
in
om
for
genieten van
to enjoy
wandelen
to walk
het bos
the forest
de natuur
the nature
ver
far
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Questions & Answers about Wij wandelen ver in het bos om van de natuur te genieten.
Why is wij used at the beginning instead of we?
Wij is the full subject pronoun in Dutch and is often used for emphasis or formality. We is the reduced form and more common in casual speech. Both are correct, so you could also say We wandelen ver in het bos…
What does the adverb ver mean here, and why is it placed before in het bos?
Ver means “far.” It modifies the verb wandelen (“to walk”) and indicates distance. In Dutch, adverbs of place or degree typically appear before prepositional phrases, so you get ver in het bos (“far into the forest”).
Why do we say in het bos instead of in bos or in de bos?
Bos is a neuter noun and takes the definite article het in the singular: het bos = “the forest.” Saying in bos without an article is unnatural in Dutch, and in de bos is incorrect because bos is not a feminine or masculine noun that would take de.
How is the infinitive clause om van de natuur te genieten constructed, and why is it structured that way?
The om … te construction introduces a purpose clause meaning “in order to.” The verb genieten always requires the preposition van (“to enjoy something” = genieten van iets). In a om … te clause, the te goes immediately before the infinitive (genieten), and the required van appears either before the object (om van de natuur te genieten) or after the infinitive (om te genieten van de natuur). Placing van at the start of the clause (om van de natuur te genieten) is more idiomatic.
Why isn’t there a comma before om in this sentence?
In Dutch, subordinate purpose clauses introduced by om … te are not set off by commas unless you want a special pause for style or clarity. So Wij wandelen ver in het bos om van de natuur te genieten is perfectly correct without a comma.
Why is the simple present wandelen used here to describe an ongoing action? Does Dutch have a continuous tense?
Dutch does not have a continuous/progressive tense like English. The simple present (e.g., wij wandelen) can express both habitual actions and actions happening right now. If you want to stress “we are walking” you can say We zijn aan het wandelen (literally “we are at the walking”).
Could you say diep in het bos instead of ver in het bos, and what’s the difference?
Yes, you can. Diep in het bos means “deep in the forest,” focusing on being in the interior or depths. Ver in het bos means “far into the forest,” emphasizing distance from the edge. Both are correct but convey slightly different nuances.
Can you replace het bos with a plural form to mean “the woods”?
Definitely. Het bos (singular) = “the forest.” If you want “the woods,” use the plural de bossen, so in de bossen = “in the woods.”
What’s the correct word order for the adverb ver and the purpose clause om van de natuur te genieten, and why can’t you place ver at the very end?
In a Dutch main clause, the typical order is Subject – Verb – Adverb – Prepositional Phrase – Subordinate Clause. Here that gives Wij (S) wandelen (V) ver (Adv) in het bos (PP) om van de natuur te genieten (SC). Moving ver to the end (…bos om van de natuur te genieten ver) would break the link between ver and wandelen and sound very awkward.