Breakdown of Zondagochtend bezoeken we de kerk.
we
we
bezoeken
to visit
de zondagochtend
the Sunday morning
de kerk
the church building
Questions & Answers about Zondagochtend bezoeken we de kerk.
Why is bezoeken before we? In English I would expect we visit.
This is because Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must come in the second position.
Here, Zondagochtend is put first as a time expression. That takes the first position, so the verb bezoeken has to come next, and the subject we comes after it.
- We bezoeken de kerk.
- Zondagochtend bezoeken we de kerk.
Both are correct; the second one just starts with the time phrase.
Why is zondagochtend written as one word?
Dutch often combines words into compounds, especially for time expressions. So zondag + ochtend becomes zondagochtend.
This is very normal in Dutch:
- maandagochtend = Monday morning
- vrijdagavond = Friday evening
- zondagnacht = Sunday night
Dutch uses compounds much more readily than English does.
Can I also say Op zondagochtend bezoeken we de kerk?