Anna past vanavond op de kinderen.

Anna is babysitting the children tonight.

Breakdown of Anna past vanavond op de kinderen.

• Anna: Anna
• het kind: the child
• vanavond: tonight
• oppassen: to babysit

Questions & Answers about Anna past vanavond op de kinderen.

Which verb is this, and why is it written as past?

The verb is the separable verb oppassen (op + passen), which in this context means “to look after/babysit.” In a main clause, you conjugate the base verb passen and place the particle op elsewhere in the sentence. For the 3rd person singular present you add -t to the stem pas: past. So you get: Anna past … op …

Why is op at the end, and why does vanavond sit in the middle?

Dutch main clauses are verb-second: the finite verb (here past) must be in the second position. With separable verbs, the particle (op) moves to the right edge of the clause. Adverbs like vanavond typically live in the “middle field,” between the finite verb and the verbal particle/complement. Hence: Anna [subject] past [finite verb] vanavond [adverb] op de kinderen [particle + object].

Can I write Anna oppast vanavond (op de kinderen)?

Not in this main-clause word order. In main clauses, you split separable verbs: past … op. You’ll see the attached form only when the verb cluster goes to the end (e.g., in subordinate clauses or with infinitives):

• Subordinate: … dat Anna vanavond op de kinderen past.
• With an auxiliary: Anna gaat vanavond op de kinderen passen.

Where else can I put vanavond?

• Fronted for emphasis: Vanavond past Anna op de kinderen.
• End position (more neutral in speech): Anna past op de kinderen vanavond. Avoid: Anna vanavond past op de kinderen (that breaks the verb-second rule).

Is this present tense even though it refers to tonight?

Yes. Dutch often uses the simple present for scheduled or near-future events when there’s a time expression: Anna past vanavond … You can also say:

• Anna gaat vanavond op de kinderen passen. (going to)
• Anna zal vanavond op de kinderen passen. (will; a bit more formal/predictive)

How would this look in a subordinate clause?

Move the finite verb to the end; the particle no longer sits separately:

• Ik weet dat Anna vanavond op de kinderen past. (Here, the combination op … past stays together at the end.)

What’s the difference between passen op, oppassen (voor), and letten op?

• (Op)passen op [iemand/iets] = look after, mind, babysit: Anna past op de kinderen.
• Oppassen (voor) [iets] = watch out for (danger): Pas op voor de hond!
• Letten op [iemand/iets] = pay attention to / keep an eye on; also used for babysitting in casual speech: Anna let vanavond op de kinderen.
  Also common: zorgen voor [iemand] = take care of (broader, not just babysitting).

Could this ever mean “Anna fits the children”?

No in this sentence, because op makes it (op)passen op = “look after.” Without op, passen means “to fit/suit” or “to try on clothes”:

• Die jas past Anna. (That coat fits Anna.)
• Anna past een jas. (Anna is trying on a coat.)

How is past pronounced, and what about vanavond and kinderen?

• past ≈ [pɑst] (short a as in British “bus,” clear final t)
• vanavond ≈ [vənˈnaːvɔnt] (stress on the second syllable: va-NÁ-vond)
• op ≈ [ɔp]
• kinderen ≈ [ˈkɪndərə(n)] (final -n often very light or dropped in casual speech)

How do I refer to the children with a pronoun after op?

After a preposition, the standard object pronoun is hen: Anna past vanavond op hen.
In everyday speech, ze is very common: … op ze.
Using hun as an object after a preposition (op hun) is widespread in informal Dutch but is marked as nonstandard in writing.

What if it’s one child?

Use the neuter singular: het kind.

• Anna past vanavond op het kind. Plural always takes de: de kinderen.

What are the past and perfect forms?

Regular verb pattern:

• Simple past: (Anna) paste op de kinderen. (yesterday/last week)
• Present perfect: (Anna) heeft op de kinderen gepast.
  With the separable combination, the past participle appears between the particle and the verb: op-ge-past → in main clauses it surfaces as … heeft op de kinderen gepast.

Are there natural alternatives to say the same thing?

Yes:

• Anna let vanavond op de kinderen. (very common)
• Anna gaat vanavond op de kinderen passen.
• Borrowed verb: Anna babysit vanavond. (very common in Belgium; also heard informally in the Netherlands)

Why is it de kinderen and not something else?

• Kinderen is plural → definite article is always de in plural: de kinderen.
• There’s no indefinite article for plurals in Dutch, so you can’t say een kinderen. If you mean it generically or unspecifically, you can drop the article: op kinderen passen (rare in this exact sentence) or use quantifiers like enkele, wat, veel.