Met name in de ochtend is het stil in de bibliotheek.

Especially in the morning it is quiet in the library.

Breakdown of Met name in de ochtend is het stil in de bibliotheek.

• zijn: to be
• in: in
• het: it
• de ochtend: the morning
• stil: quiet
• de bibliotheek: the library
• met name: especially

Questions & Answers about Met name in de ochtend is het stil in de bibliotheek.

What does met name mean here? It looks like with name literally, which doesn’t make sense.

Met name is an idiomatic expression meaning especially, particularly, or in particular.

So:

• Met name in de ochtend ≈ Especially in the morning
• A common synonym is vooral: Vooral in de ochtend is het stil…

The literal meaning (with name) is not relevant in this expression; you should learn met name as a fixed phrase.

Why does the sentence start with Met name in de ochtend? Could I also say Het is met name in de ochtend stil in de bibliotheek?

Both word orders are possible, but the emphasis changes slightly.

Original:

• Met name in de ochtend is het stil in de bibliotheek.
  → The time phrase is put at the beginning for emphasis: the speaker highlights the morning first.

Alternative:

• Het is met name in de ochtend stil in de bibliotheek.
  → More neutral; starts like a normal het is… sentence, with the special time information later.

Dutch main clauses normally have the finite verb in second position. In the original, the whole phrase Met name in de ochtend counts as position 1, so is must come next (position 2).

Why do we say is het stil in de bibliotheek and not is de bibliotheek stil?

Both are possible, but they’re not identical in focus.

• Het is stil in de bibliotheek.
  Here het is a dummy subject (like English it in it is raining). The focus is on the situation: the state of affairs in the library is that it is quiet.

• De bibliotheek is stil.
  Here de bibliotheek is the grammatical subject. This sounds a bit more like you’re describing the library itself as a quiet place, more like a property of the building/space.

The original sentence uses the more neutral het is stil in de bibliotheek, talking about the situation there at that time.

Can I replace met name with vooral or speciaal? Are they the same?

• Met name ≈ vooral, in particular, especially.
  In this sentence, vooral is a very natural replacement:

  • Vooral in de ochtend is het stil in de bibliotheek.

• Speciaal is different.
  Speciaal means especially in the sense of done on purpose / specially arranged (e.g. Ik heb dit speciaal voor jou gekocht – I bought this especially for you). It would sound odd here.

So in this context, use met name or vooral, not speciaal.

What is the difference between in de ochtend and ’s ochtends?

They mean the same thing (in the morning) but differ in style:

• In de ochtend

  • Slightly more formal or neutral.
  • Very clear and straightforward.

• ’s ochtends

  • Very common in everyday spoken Dutch.
  • A bit more idiomatic/colloquial.

You could say:

• Met name ’s ochtends is het stil in de bibliotheek.
  This is perfectly natural and probably more common in speech than in de ochtend.

Why is it in de ochtend and not op de ochtend?

Dutch uses different prepositions for times:

• In de ochtend / in de middag / in de avond / in de nacht → general parts of the day
• Op maandag / op 5 mei → specific days and dates

So:

• in de ochtend = in the morning (time of day)
• op maandag = on Monday

That’s why in de ochtend is correct here, not op de ochtend.

What exactly does stil mean here? Is it the same as rustig?

Both can relate to quietness, but they have different nuances:

• stil

  • Literally: silent, very quiet, no or almost no sound
  • Focuses on sound level
  • Het is stil in de bibliotheek → you hardly hear anything

• rustig

  • calm, not busy, not hectic (can be about noise or about activity)
  • Het is rustig in de bibliotheek → not many people, calm atmosphere; it might still have some background sounds

In this sentence, stil stresses the silence of the library, not just that it’s not busy.

Why do we say in de bibliotheek and not just in bibliotheek, like English often omits the article?

In Dutch, you normally must use an article with singular countable nouns, unless another determiner (like mijn, die) is used.

So:

• in de bibliotheek = correct
• in bibliotheek = incorrect in standard Dutch
• in mijn bibliotheek = correct

English sometimes drops the article in set expressions (e.g. in school, at church), but Dutch does not do that in the same way. You still say op school, in de kerk, in de bibliotheek.

Why is is in that position? How does word order work in this sentence?

Dutch main clauses follow a verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb is normally the second element in the sentence.

Here:

1. Met name in de ochtend → first position (a fronted prepositional time phrase)
2. is → second position (finite verb)
3. het stil in de bibliotheek → rest of the sentence

If you start with the subject, the verb still comes second:

• Het is met name in de ochtend stil in de bibliotheek.

So the fronted phrase pushes is to second position, which is exactly what Dutch requires.

Could there be a comma after Met name in de ochtend?

Yes, you could write:

• Met name in de ochtend, is het stil in de bibliotheek.

However, in modern Dutch this comma is usually omitted in short sentences like this, especially in informal writing:

• Met name in de ochtend is het stil in de bibliotheek. (more common)

So the version without the comma is more typical, but including it is not wrong.

How is bibliotheek pronounced, and where is the stress?

Bibliotheek is pronounced roughly as:

• /ˌbibli.oːˈteːk/

In simpler terms for English speakers:

• bib-lee-oh-TAYK

Stress is on the last syllable: –theek.

Also note:

• oek sounds like English oak but with a slightly different vowel length.
• The k at the end is clearly pronounced.

Is there a more informal way to say bibliotheek in this sentence?

Yes, in informal speech Dutch speakers often say de bieb:

• Met name in de ochtend is het stil in de bieb.

De bieb is colloquial; de bibliotheek is neutral and appropriate in all contexts, including formal writing.