Wij bespreken het plot na de film.

We discuss the plot after the movie.

Breakdown of Wij bespreken het plot na de film.

• wij: we
• na: after
• de film: the film
• bespreken: to discuss
• het plot: the plot

Questions & Answers about Wij bespreken het plot na de film.

What is the difference between wij and we here? Could I say We bespreken het plot na de film instead?

Both wij and we mean we in English.

• wij is the stressed / emphatic form. It can contrast with other people:
  • Wij bespreken het plot na de film, niet zij.
    We discuss the plot after the movie, not them.
• we is the neutral, unstressed form, used most of the time in normal speech.

In your sentence, We bespreken het plot na de film is completely correct and sounds a bit more natural in everyday conversation. Wij just adds a slight emphasis on “we” as the ones doing the discussing.

Why is it het plot and not de plot or something else?

Dutch nouns take either de or het as their definite article. With plot, both are actually used:

• Many speakers say de plot.
• Others say het plot.
• Dictionaries often list de/het plot as both acceptable.

Your sentence uses het plot, which is fine and understood everywhere. You might also hear:

• de plot van de film – the plot of the film
• het plot van de film

There is no meaning difference between de plot and het plot; it’s a matter of usage and regional preference.

Is plot really a Dutch word, or is it just borrowed from English? Could I say something like het verhaal instead?

Plot is indeed a loanword from English, but it is now fully integrated into Dutch and very common, especially in film, TV, and book contexts.

Nuances:

• het/de plot – the plot, the constructed storyline (how events are arranged)
• het verhaal – the story in a broader sense (content, events, what happens)
• de verhaallijn – the storyline, sometimes for one thread in a larger story

So you could also say:

• Wij bespreken het verhaal na de film. – We’ll talk about the story after the movie.
• Wij bespreken de verhaallijn na de film. – We’ll talk about the storyline after the movie.

Your original het plot is perfectly natural if you specifically mean the plot structure.

What exactly does bespreken mean, and how is it different from praten over or discussiëren over?

bespreken means to discuss / to talk about something in some detail. It usually implies a somewhat structured or purposeful conversation, not just a casual chat.

Comparison:

• bespreken iets – to discuss something (often more focused):
  • Wij bespreken het plot na de film.
    We will discuss the plot after the movie.
• praten over iets – to talk about something (can be casual or serious):
  • We praten over het plot na de film.
• discussiëren over iets – to debate something, often with differing opinions:
  • We discussiëren over het plot na de film.

All three are possible with slightly different connotations. bespreken often sounds a bit more “organized” or “deliberate.”

Why is there no preposition after bespreken? Why not Wij bespreken over het plot?

In Dutch, bespreken is a transitive verb: it takes a direct object.

• Wij bespreken het plot. ✔
• Wij bespreken over het plot. ✘ (incorrect)

This is similar to English discuss:

• We discuss the plot. ✔
• We discuss about the plot. ✘

If you want to use a preposition like over, use a different verb:

• praten over:
  Wij praten over het plot na de film.
• discussiëren over:
  Wij discussiëren over het plot na de film.

With bespreken, you go directly to the object:

Why is the order Wij bespreken het plot na de film and not Wij bespreken na de film het plot?

Both word orders are grammatically correct:

• Wij bespreken het plot na de film.
• Wij bespreken na de film het plot.

The difference is mostly about rhythm and emphasis, not correctness. In practice:

• Wij bespreken het plot na de film.
  Feels slightly more neutral and straightforward.
• Wij bespreken na de film het plot.
  Puts a small emphasis on na de film (after the movie) by inserting it earlier.

Dutch main clauses are flexible in where you place time phrases like na de film. All of these are fine:

• Wij bespreken het plot na de film.
• Wij bespreken na de film het plot.
• Na de film bespreken wij het plot. (fronted time phrase; more emphasis on “after the movie”)

The last version also shows the typical Dutch “verb in second position” rule: Na de film (1) bespreken (2) wij het plot (rest).

Can na de film go at the beginning of the sentence? For example: Na de film bespreken wij het plot?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and quite natural:

• Na de film bespreken wij het plot.

When you put na de film at the beginning, Dutch grammar requires the conjugated verb to stay in second position:

• Na de film (first element)
• bespreken (verb in second position)
• wij het plot (subject and object follow)

This fronted version adds emphasis to the time:

• Na de film (not before, not during) is when we’ll discuss the plot.

The verb is in the present tense (bespreken). Does the sentence mean a present action or a future plan?

Dutch present tense can refer to:

1. Something happening regularly or in general:

   • Wij bespreken het plot na de film.
     Could mean: Whenever we watch a film, we (generally) discuss the plot afterwards.

2. A planned or scheduled future action, similar to English We’re discussing… or We’ll discuss…:

   • Context: You’re talking about tonight’s cinema visit:
     Wij bespreken het plot na de film.
     = We’ll discuss the plot after the movie (that we’re about to watch).

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

• Wij zullen het plot na de film bespreken.
• Wij gaan het plot na de film bespreken.

But in everyday Dutch, the simple present as in your sentence is very commonly used for planned future events.

Why is it de film and not het film?

In Dutch, film is a de‑word:

• de film – the movie / film
• een film – a movie / film

So:

• Wij bespreken het plot na de film. ✔
• Wij bespreken het plot na het film. ✘ (wrong article)

Like many Dutch nouns, the gender (de/het) is just something you have to memorize. There is no simple rule that would make film predictable as a de‑word.

Could you drop the article and say Wij bespreken plot na de film?

No, that sounds wrong in Dutch. In almost all normal contexts, countable nouns like plot need:

• a definite article: het plot / de plot
• or an indefinite article: een plot
• or another determiner: dit plot, dat plot, ons plot, etc.

So you would normally say:

• Wij bespreken het plot na de film. ✔
• Wij bespreken de plot na de film. ✔
• Wij bespreken een plot na de film. (a plot, some plot) ✔
• Wij bespreken plot na de film. ✘ (article missing)

Unlike English, Dutch usually does not allow you to skip the article here.

Is there any difference between Wij bespreken het plot na de film and We bespreken het plot na de film?

Grammatically, no difference in meaning: both are correct and both mean “We (will) discuss the plot after the movie.”

Style/nuance:

• Wij bespreken het plot na de film.
  Slight emphasis on wij, as in “we (as opposed to someone else)” or just a more formal tone.
• We bespreken het plot na de film.
  More neutral and colloquial; this is what you’ll hear most in everyday speech.

In ordinary conversation, We bespreken het plot na de film is usually the default choice.