Learn Hardcore Dutch: Laten we vanavond samen koken, zodat we de toets van morgen even vergeten. - Let’s cook together tonight so that we forget tomorrow’s test for a moment.

Literal meaning: “let we …” (as in “allow us to …”), but in practice it’s just a fixed expression meaning “let’s”.
Structure:
- Laten = verb “to let/allow”, conjugated for wij (we).
- we = subject.
- Then you put the infinitive of the main action at the end:
  - Laten we gaan. – Let’s go.
  - Laten we vanavond samen koken. – Let’s cook together tonight.

So the pattern is: Laten we + [rest of the sentence] + [infinitive].

Why is the verb “koken” at the end of “Laten we vanavond samen koken”?

This happens because of the “laten we … [infinitive]” construction.

The conjugated verb (laten) must be in second position in a main clause in Dutch:
- Laten (1st position)
- we (2nd element)
Any other elements (time, manner, etc.) go in the middle:
- vanavond samen
The main action verb stays in the infinitive at the end:
- koken

So the pattern is:

Laten + we + [other information] + koken

You can’t say “Laten we koken vanavond samen” in the same flexible way as in English; the infinitive normally goes at the end of that clause.

Can I also say “Zullen we vanavond samen koken?” instead of “Laten we vanavond samen koken”? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, and both are natural, but the nuance differs:

Laten we vanavond samen koken.
- Feels like a proposal that’s almost a plan.
- Slightly more decisive: “Let’s do it.”
Zullen we vanavond samen koken?
- Literally: “Shall we cook together tonight?”
- Usually a question, explicitly asking for the other person’s opinion.
- More open-ended: “What do you think about doing this?”

So:

Laten we … = making a joint suggestion (more like a gentle instruction to ourselves).
Zullen we …? = asking, inviting agreement.

What does “zodat” do in this sentence, and why does “vergeten” go at the end of the clause?

“Zodat” means “so that / in order that” and introduces a subordinate clause of purpose or result.

In Dutch, a subordinate clause has this pattern:

[conjunction] + [subject] + [other parts] + [finite verb at the end]

In your sentence:

zodat = conjunction
we = subject
de toets van morgen even = object + adverb
vergeten = finite verb (present tense “we forget”, which looks the same as the infinitive)

So we get:

zodat we de toets van morgen even vergeten

The verb moves to the end because of “zodat”. That’s the normal word order for subordinate clauses in Dutch.

Is the comma before “zodat” necessary?

In practice, yes, you should write it.

Dutch normally uses a comma before most subordinating conjunctions (zoals omdat, omdat, terwijl, zodra, zodat, hoewel etc.) when they connect two full clauses.
So:
- Laten we vanavond samen koken, zodat we de toets van morgen even vergeten. ✅
- Writing it without the comma is seen as less correct or less clear, especially in more formal writing.

In speech, of course, you just pause there naturally.

What’s the nuance of “even” in “zodat we de toets van morgen even vergeten”?

“Even” is tricky because it often doesn’t translate directly. Here it has two main effects:

Temporal nuance:
- It suggests “for a moment / for a little while”:
  - even vergeten ≈ “forget it for a bit.”
Softening the tone:
- It makes the idea sound lighter and more casual, less dramatic.
- Without it, “zodat we de toets van morgen vergeten” sounds heavier, like really forgetting the test altogether.
- With even, it’s clearly about temporarily not thinking about it, relaxing your mind.

So “even” here basically adds “just for a bit” and makes the sentence friendlier.

Can “even” be placed somewhere else in that clause?

Yes, it’s fairly flexible, but not every position sounds equally natural. Some common options:

zodat we de toets van morgen even vergeten ✅ (very natural)
zodat we even de toets van morgen vergeten ✅ (also fine; emphasis slightly shifts to “even”)

Less natural or odd:

zodat we de toets even van morgen vergeten ❌ (splits the phrase incorrectly)
zodat even we de toets van morgen vergeten ❌ (wrong position for “even”)

Rough guide:

Adverbs like “even” usually go after the subject and before the main verb, often after objects that need to stay tightly together.

What exactly does “de toets van morgen” mean? Why “van”?

“De toets van morgen” means “tomorrow’s test” / “the test that is tomorrow.”

de toets = “the test / exam / quiz”
van morgen = “of tomorrow”

Dutch often expresses possession or association with “van”:

de toets van morgen – tomorrow’s test
de les van gisteren – yesterday’s lesson
het feest van zaterdag – Saturday’s party

So “van morgen” here is literally “of tomorrow” and attaches the time to “toets” as a describing phrase.

Can I also say “de toets morgen” without “van”? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say “de toets morgen”, but the nuance is a bit different:

de toets van morgen
- Sounds like a fixed description: “the test of tomorrow”, almost like a name.
- Slightly more explicit and clear, especially in writing.
de toets morgen
- More like: “the test, tomorrow” (test is the main noun, “tomorrow” is a time adverb).
- Very common in spoken Dutch.

Both are understood as “tomorrow’s test”. In many contexts they’re interchangeable, but “de toets van morgen” feels a bit more noun phrase-like and complete.

Why is it “van morgen” and not “vanmorgen”? Don’t both exist in Dutch?

Yes, both exist, but they mean different things:

vanmorgen (one word)
- Means “this morning” (earlier today).
- Example: Ik had vanmorgen een toets. – I had a test this morning.
van morgen (two words, with van)
- Means “of tomorrow” in your sentence: “the test of tomorrow”.
- It’s not the time adverb “this morning,” but a prepositional phrase with van.

So in “de toets van morgen”, separating them is essential: it’s about tomorrow, not this morning.

Why is it “de toets” and not “het toets”?

Because “toets” is a “de”-word (common gender) in Dutch.

Noun genders are mostly arbitrary and must be memorized.
Some examples:
- de toets – the test
- de les – the lesson
- het examen – the exam

You can’t guess from meaning that toets is “de” and examen is “het”; you just learn them together with their article:

de toets
het examen

Can I change the order of “vanavond” and “samen”? For example, “Laten we samen vanavond koken”?

You can change the order, but some versions sound more natural than others:

Laten we vanavond samen koken. ✅
- Very natural; time (vanavond) before manner (samen).
Laten we samen vanavond koken. ✅
- Also acceptable; slightly more emphasis on “samen” (together).

Less natural:

Laten we koken vanavond samen. ❌ / very awkward word order.

In general, Dutch likes the order:

[verb 1] + [subject] + (time) + (manner) + [main verb at end]

So “vanavond samen koken” fits that pattern nicely.

Could I say “Dus vergeten we de toets van morgen even” instead of the “zodat”-clause? Would that mean the same?

You can say:

Dus vergeten we de toets van morgen even.

But it’s slightly different:

zodat we de toets van morgen even vergeten
- Purpose/result clause: cooking together in order to forget the test for a bit.
- The forgetting is presented as the goal or intended effect.
Dus vergeten we de toets van morgen even.
- Consequence in a main clause: “So we forget the test for a bit.”
- Sounds more like a logical follow-up or conclusion.

Meaning is related, but “zodat” makes the second part clearly a purpose of the first action, while “dus” makes it sound more like a result you’re drawing as a conclusion.