Wij nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door.

We go through the lecture notes together.

Breakdown of Wij nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door.

• wij: we
• samen: together
• van: of
• het college: the lecture
• doornemen: to go through
• de aantekening: the note

Questions & Answers about Wij nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door.

What does nemen … door mean here? Is it just take through literally?

In this sentence nemen … door comes from the separable verb doornemen, which means:

• to go through (something)
• to review / to discuss in detail

So Wij nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door means:
We go through / review the notes from the lecture together.

It is not understood literally as “take through” in Dutch; it’s one idiomatic verb: doornemen.

Why is door at the end of the sentence and not next to nemen?

Because doornemen is a separable verb:

• Infinitive / dictionary form: doornemen
• In a main clause, the prefix door goes to the end:

Wij nemen de aantekeningen … door.

This is normal Dutch word order for separable verbs in main clauses:

• Ik neem het verslag door. – I go through the report.
• Hij vult het formulier in. – from invullen (to fill in)

In subordinate clauses, it stays together:

• … dat we de aantekeningen van het college samen doornemen.

Can I say Wij doornemen de aantekeningen instead?

No, that word order is wrong in a main clause.

You must separate doornemen:

• ✅ Wij nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door.
• ✅ Wij nemen samen de aantekeningen van het college door.
• ✅ Wij nemen de aantekeningen samen door.
• ❌ Wij doornemen de aantekeningen van het college. (in a main clause)

However, in a subordinate clause the verb is not split:

• ✅ … dat wij de aantekeningen van het college doornemen.

What is the difference between wij and we?

Both mean we.

• wij – stressed form, used for emphasis or contrast
  
  • Wij nemen de aantekeningen door, niet zij.
• we – unstressed, more neutral and more common in speech

Your sentence would most naturally be:

• We nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door.

Using wij here is possible, but it sounds a bit more emphatic or careful.

Why is it de aantekeningen and not singular? Can I say de aantekening?

In practice, people almost always talk about notes in the plural: aantekeningen.

• aantekening (singular) = one note / one remark
• aantekeningen (plural) = notes (what you normally take in class)

For lecture notes, Dutch speakers typically say:

• de aantekeningen van het college – the notes from the lecture

You can say de aantekening, but then you’re referring to a single note or remark, not the whole set of notes.

Why is it van het college and not van de college?

Because college is a het-word in Dutch:

• het college – the lecture (at university / higher education)

So you must use het, not de:

• ✅ het college
• ❌ de college

That’s why the phrase is de aantekeningen van het college – “the notes from the lecture.”

Does college mean the same as English college?

Not exactly; it’s a bit of a false friend.

In this context:

• het college = a lecture at university or a similar institution

Some differences:

• English college often means the institution (school, university-level place).
• Dutch college here is a class session / lecture, not the institution.

For a general “class/lesson” (also in high school), Dutch more often uses les:

• Ik heb morgen wiskundeles. – I have math class tomorrow.
• Ik heb morgen een college recht. – I have a law lecture tomorrow. (university)

What does samen modify exactly? Is the sentence ambiguous?

In Wij nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door, samen goes with wij nemen … door and means:

• together (we do this activity together)

A Dutch speaker understands it as:

• We (together) go through the notes from the lecture.

It’s not normally read as “the notes that are together” or “the lecture together.” The position suggests it belongs to the action, not the aantekeningen.

You can move samen earlier for even clearer emphasis:

• Wij nemen samen de aantekeningen van het college door.
• Samen nemen wij de aantekeningen van het college door.

Can I move samen to a different position, and does the meaning change?

Yes, you can move it, and the basic meaning stays the same, though the emphasis changes slightly:

1. Wij nemen de aantekeningen van het college samen door.
   – Neutral; samen is linked to the action, placed near the end.

2. Wij nemen samen de aantekeningen van het college door.
   – Slightly stronger focus on together; very natural word order.

3. Samen nemen wij de aantekeningen van het college door.
   – Strong emphasis on together (contrast: not alone, not separately).

All three are correct and idiomatic.

Are there other verbs I could use instead of doornemen here?

Yes, but each has its own nuance:

• doornemen – go through in a structured way, often point by point

  • Very natural for notes, texts, exercises.

• bekijken – look at, take a look at

  • We bekijken de aantekeningen samen.
  • More about looking, less about systematically discussing.

• herhalen – revise, repeat, review (for learning)

  • We herhalen de aantekeningen van het college.
  • Focus on studying/reviewing the content.

• nakijken – check, correct

  • We kijken de aantekeningen na.
  • Means checking (e.g. for mistakes), not just reading through.

In your sentence, doornemen is the most natural if you mean “go through and discuss/review the notes together.”