Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten wij met onze familie.

After the awarding of the diploma, we talk with our family.

Breakdown of Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten wij met onze familie.

• wij: we
• met: with
• onze: our
• de familie: the family
• na: after
• praten: to talk
• van: of
• het diploma: the diploma
• de uitreiking: the awarding

Questions & Answers about Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten wij met onze familie.

Why does the verb praten come before wij (so praten wij instead of wij praten)?

In Dutch main clauses, the finite verb always comes in second position. This is called the verb‑second rule (V2).

The first position can be:

• the subject: Wij praten met onze familie.
• a time expression or other phrase: Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten wij met onze familie.

In your sentence:

1. Na de uitreiking van het diploma = first element (a time phrase)
2. praten = verb in second position
3. wij = subject, which now comes after the verb

So the word order is not emphasis on praten; it is just the normal Dutch rule: one element first, then the verb, then the subject if it’s not in first position.

Can I also say Wij praten na de uitreiking van het diploma met onze familie? Is that correct, and is there any difference?

Yes, Wij praten na de uitreiking van het diploma met onze familie is also correct.

The differences are mainly about focus and style:

• Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten wij met onze familie.

  • Focus on the time: after the ceremony, we talk…
  • Very natural if you want to set the scene in time first.

• Wij praten na de uitreiking van het diploma met onze familie.

  • Focus starts on wij (we), the subject.
  • Feels a bit more neutral or like you’re contrasting with someone else:
    Wij praten na de uitreiking…, (maar zij gaan meteen naar huis).
    “We talk after the ceremony, (but they go straight home).”

Both are grammatically fine; which is “better” depends on what you want to emphasize.

What is the difference between na and nadat, and could I say something like Nadat wij het diploma hebben gekregen, praten wij met onze familie?

Na and nadat are related but used differently:

• na = a preposition; it must be followed by a noun(-like) phrase

  • Na de uitreiking van het diploma…
  • Na de les…
  • Na het eten…

• nadat = a subordinating conjunction; it introduces a clause with a verb

  • Nadat wij het diploma hebben gekregen, praten wij met onze familie.
  • Nadat hij is aangekomen, gaan we eten.

Your original sentence uses a noun phrase (de uitreiking van het diploma), so na is correct.

If you want a full clause instead, then your example is good:

• Nadat wij het diploma hebben gekregen, praten wij met onze familie.

Meaning is similar, but:

• Na de uitreiking van het diploma… is slightly more compact and sounds very natural.
• Nadat wij het diploma hebben gekregen… describes the event as a clause, not as a noun phrase.

What is the difference between wij and we? Why is it wij here?

Dutch has two forms for we: wij and we.

• we = the unstressed, more neutral form (most common in normal speech)
• wij = the stressed or emphatic form

You use wij:

• when you want to emphasize the subject:
  • Niet zij, maar wij praten met onze familie.
    “Not them, but we talk with our family.”
• often in more careful or formal speech or writing.

In your sentence:

• Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten wij met onze familie.

This could be:

• neutral, just a slightly more formal or careful version, or
• a bit emphatic: we (the graduates, for example) talk to our family then.

You could absolutely also say:

• Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten we met onze familie.

That’s very natural in everyday spoken Dutch.

Why is it onze familie and not ons familie?

The choice between onze and ons depends on the gender and number of the noun:

• For de-words (common gender, singular): onze
• For het-words (neuter, singular): ons
• For all plurals: onze

Examples:

• de familie → onze familie
• het huis → ons huis
• de huizen (plural) → onze huizen

Since familie is a de-word (de familie), you must say:

• onze familie = our family

Ons familie is incorrect.

Why is familie singular in Dutch even though it refers to many people? Can I say families?

In Dutch, familie works like English family in grammar: it is grammatically singular, even though it refers to a group.

• onze familie = our family (all the relatives as a group)
• The verb agrees with a singular subject:
  • Onze familie komt morgen.
    “Our family is coming tomorrow.” (literally: “comes”)

About the plural:

• families (or families with a Dutch spelling) does exist, but it means multiple separate families:
  • Twee families wonen in dat huis.
    “Two families live in that house.”

So:

• In your sentence, met onze familie = with our family (our relatives as one group), so singular familie is correct.

Why is it praten met onze familie and not praten tegen onze familie? What’s the difference between met and tegen here?

Both praten met and praten tegen exist, but they have different nuances:

• praten met iemand = to talk with someone

  • Suggests a two‑way conversation, interaction:
    • Ik praat met mijn moeder. = I’m having a conversation with my mother.

• praten tegen iemand = to talk to someone

  • More one‑sided: you are talking to them; they might not talk much back:
    • Hij praat tegen de muur. = He talks to the wall.
    • Ze praat tegen haar baby. = She talks to her baby.

In your sentence:

• praten met onze familie suggests a normal conversation with your family members, so met is the natural choice.
• praten tegen onze familie would sound odd, as if you’re just speaking at them, maybe lecturing them.

What exactly does de uitreiking van het diploma mean structurally? Why do we use van there, and could we also say de diplomauitreiking?

Structurally, de uitreiking van het diploma is:

• de uitreiking = the awarding / handing-out
• van het diploma = of the diploma

So van here works like English of:

• de uitreiking van het diploma = the awarding of the diploma

Dutch very often uses van + noun for this type of relationship.

You can also use a compound noun, which is extremely common in Dutch:

• de diplomauitreiking = literally the diploma-awarding (graduation ceremony)

Both are correct:

• Na de uitreiking van het diploma…
• Na de diplomauitreiking…

The compound diplomauitreiking is actually very natural in everyday language, especially referring to a graduation ceremony.

Why is it het diploma and not de diploma?

In Dutch, every noun is either:

• de-word (common gender), or
• het-word (neuter).

Diploma is a het-word, so:

• het diploma = the diploma
• een diploma = a diploma

Therefore:

• de uitreiking van het diploma
  not de uitreiking van de diploma.

You just have to learn the gender of nouns, but many loanwords ending in -ma (like dilemma, schema, diploma) are het-words.

The verb praten is in the present tense. Does the sentence describe the present, the future, or something habitual? Could I use zullen praten?

Dutch present tense is quite flexible. Your sentence:

• Na de uitreiking van het diploma praten wij met onze familie.

can mean:

1. Habitual action
   
   • “After the awarding of the diploma, we (always) talk with our family.”
2. Planned future event, if the context is future:
   
   • When talking about a schedule: what will happen after the ceremony.
   • Dutch often uses simple present for future in such cases, like English:
     
     • “Tomorrow we go on holiday.” / Morgen gaan we op vakantie.

If you want to make the future meaning very explicit, you can say:

• Na de uitreiking van het diploma zullen wij met onze familie praten.

But:

• This is a bit more formal or heavy.
• In most real-life contexts, the simple present praten is enough, and more natural, especially if you’re describing a fixed plan or schedule.