We boren eerst een klein gat in de muur voordat we de schroef erin draaien.

Because in the present tense, Dutch regular verbs use the same form as the infinitive with we/wij, jullie, and ze.

For example:

• boren

  • ik boor
  • jij boort
  • hij boort
  • we boren

• draaien

  • ik draai
  • jij draait
  • hij draait
  • we draaien

So we boren and we draaien are just normal present-tense forms.

Because Dutch main clauses normally follow the verb-second rule. The finite verb must come in the second position.

In this sentence:

• We = first position
• boren = second position
• eerst comes after that

So the neutral order is:

• We boren eerst een klein gat ...

You can also move eerst to the front for emphasis:

• Eerst boren we een klein gat in de muur ...

But then the verb still has to stay in second position, so we moves after boren.

This is an adjective-ending rule.

Gat is a het-word: het gat.
With a singular het-word after een, the adjective usually has no -e ending.

So:

• een klein gat ✅
• het kleine gat ✅

Compare that with a de-word like muur:

• een kleine muur
• de kleine muur

So the lack of -e in klein tells you that gat is a singular het-word used with een.

Dutch nouns belong to two article groups:

• de-words
• het-words

In this sentence:

• de muur
• het gat

Unfortunately, this is something you usually have to learn with each noun. But it matters because it affects things like:

• article choice
• adjective endings
• sometimes pronouns

For example:

• de grote muur
• het kleine gat

So this sentence is also useful because it shows both types.

Because voordat introduces a subordinate clause, and in Dutch subordinate clauses the finite verb usually goes to the end.

So:

• main clause: We boren eerst een klein gat in de muur
• subordinate clause: voordat we de schroef erin draaien

That is why Dutch says:

• voordat we de schroef erin draaien

and not:

• voordat we draaien de schroef erin

This verb-final pattern is one of the most important word-order rules in Dutch.

Voordat is used when before introduces a whole clause with its own subject and verb.

Here the part after it is a full clause:

• we de schroef erin draaien

So you need voordat.

Use voor when before is a preposition followed by a noun phrase, not a clause. For example:

• voor het eten
• voor de lunch
• voor het werk

So:

• voordat we beginnen = before we begin
• voor het begin = before the beginning

You may also hear voor we ... in informal Dutch. That is common in speech, but voordat we ... is very clear and standard.

Erin is a pronominal adverb: er + in.

It means something like:

• in it
• in there
• into it

Dutch uses these combinations very often:

• erin = in it / into it
• erop = on it
• eraan = to it
• eruit = out of it

In this sentence, erin refers back to the place already mentioned: the hole/location in the wall. Instead of repeating the full phrase, Dutch uses erin.

So:

• de schroef erin draaien = turn the screw into it / screw it in

Because once the location has already been mentioned, Dutch often avoids repeating the whole prepositional phrase.

First mention:

• een klein gat in de muur

Then refer back to that location:

• de schroef erin draaien

This is very natural Dutch. English often repeats less clearly or uses something like in it; Dutch strongly prefers these er + preposition forms.

You could repeat the full phrase, but it would usually sound less smooth.

Yes, it is very normal.

Literally, draaien means to turn, but with a screw that naturally gives the idea of screwing it in by turning it.

Dutch can express this in several ways, for example:

• de schroef erin draaien
• de schroef indraaien
• de schroef erin schroeven

All are possible, though the first one is very natural in everyday language.

So even though draaien by itself is a general verb, in this context it clearly means putting in the screw by turning it.

Yes. If you put the voordat clause first, the main clause changes word order because of inversion:

• Voordat we de schroef erin draaien, boren we eerst een klein gat in de muur.

Notice what happens in the main clause:

• boren comes before we

That is because the first position is already occupied by the subordinate clause, so the finite verb still has to stay in second position.

This is a very common Dutch pattern:

• Als het regent, blijven we thuis.
• Omdat hij moe is, gaat hij vroeg naar bed.
• Voordat we de schroef erin draaien, boren we eerst een klein gat in de muur.