Breakdown of Na het koken reinigen wij de oven.
wij
we
na
after
het koken
the cooking
reinigen
to clean
de oven
the oven
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Questions & Answers about Na het koken reinigen wij de oven.
Why is there het before koken in Na het koken?
In Dutch, when you turn a verb into a noun (a nominalization), you need a definite article. koken (“to cook”) becomes het koken (“the cooking/after cooking”), so you can’t drop het here.
Why does koken act like a noun here, and what is this construction called?
This is a nominalized infinitive: the infinitive koken functions as a noun with the article het. Dutch often uses this pattern with prepositions like na, voor, or zonder (for example, voor het slapen “before sleeping”).
Why is the verb reinigen placed before the subject wij?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb‐second) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. With Na het koken as the first element, reinigen comes next, then the subject wij.
Could we move na het koken to the end of the sentence?
Yes. If you start with the subject, you keep the verb in second place:
Wij reinigen de oven na het koken.
What does reinigen mean in English, and is it formal?
reinigen means “to clean thoroughly” and is somewhat more formal or technical. The everyday word is schoonmaken (“to clean”).
Can I use schoonmaken instead of reinigen, and how would the sentence change?
Yes. schoonmaken is a separable verb (schoon-maken). With the time phrase fronted you invert and split the verb at the end:
Na het koken maken wij de oven schoon.
Is reinigen a separable verb like schoonmaken?
No. reinigen is inseparable, so you never split it. You always say wij reinigen rather than reinig … en.
Can you drop het and say Na koken reinigen wij de oven?
No. Without het the phrase isn’t a proper nominalization. Na koken sounds ungrammatical—always use Na het koken for “after cooking.”