Ik schuil in de schuur als het hard regent.

I shelter in the shed when it rains heavily.

Breakdown of Ik schuil in de schuur als het hard regent.

• ik: I
• in: in
• het: it
• de schuur: the shed

Questions & Answers about Ik schuil in de schuur als het hard regent.

What does schuilen mean here, and how is it used?

schuilen is a Dutch intransitive verb meaning to take cover or to shelter (typically from rain or wind). In the sentence, ik is the subject, schuil is the finite verb in second position, and in de schuur is the prepositional phrase indicating where the sheltering takes place.

Why is it in de schuur and not onder de schuur?

in marks being inside a space or building, so in de schuur means in the shed/barn. onder means under, suggesting you’d be physically beneath something (like an overhang), which doesn’t fit the idea of going inside a shed.

Why is the definite article de used in in de schuur rather than een?

Using de (the) signals a specific or familiar shed—perhaps the one on your property. If you said in een schuur, it would be in a shed, implying any shed, not one both speaker and listener know.

Why does the sentence use als het hard regent and could I use wanneer instead?