Daily Routine & Separable Verbs
Daily Routine & Separable Verbs
Dutch, like German, builds many verbs by gluing a prefix onto a base verb — and in the present tense, that prefix breaks off and jumps to the end of the sentence, a behavior with no true English equivalent, though English's own phrasal verbs share a family resemblance.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Separable verbs: the prefix detaches and moves to the end
opstaan → Ik sta om zeven uur op. (I get up at seven o'clock.)
to get up → I get up at seven o'clock.
English has 'phrasal verbs' that feel similar in spirit — 'get up,' 'wake up,' 'turn on' — but the two parts ('get' and 'up') normally stay close together and can often be reordered ('turn it on' / 'turn on the light'). Dutch separable verbs are stricter: the prefix (op-, aan-, uit-...) is glued to the front of the infinitive (opstaan) but must break off and land at the very end of a main clause once the verb is conjugated: ik sta op, not ik opsta. The two pieces can end up far apart with a long sentence in between, but the prefix always surfaces at the end.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| Dutch | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| opstaan | OP-stahn | to get up |
| ontbijten | ont-BAY-ten | to have breakfast |
| aankleden | AHN-klay-den | to get dressed |
| tv kijken | tay-vay KAY-ken | to watch TV |
| boodschappen doen | BOHT-skhah-pen doon | to go shopping |
| de klok | duh klok | the clock / watch |
| om ... uur | om ... oor | at ... o'clock |