Dutch A2.7 Listening Practice: Put Time First and Keep the Split
Dutch A2 listening practice with audio, transcript, key phrases, and a speaking challenge for put time first and keep the split.
Podcast listening is in beta while creation and discussion tools are refined. This published chapter includes its complete segmented audio and transcript.
Level
A2.7
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
21 segments
What to notice while you listen
What you'll understand
Foreground a familiar time expression while describing a separable everyday action.
Move vandaag, morgen, or om zeven uur into first position, place the finite verb second, then close a declared separable verb with op.
New pattern
Time-first V2 combined with a separated op: the finite verb remains second and the particle occupies the closing verbal position in these short clauses.
Practice aloud after listening
Morgen bel ik Sofia op. Om zeven uur sta ik op.
Tomorrow I will call Sofia. At seven o'clock I get up.
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
Emphasize when you get up or telephone someone while keeping the action easy to follow.
Read while you listen.
1. Marieke · Teacher
Welcome back! Today we are looking at Dutch word order when you put time phrases first, like 'vandaag', 'morgen', or 'om zeven uur'. When time fills the first slot, the finite verb stays second, followed by the subject, and the separable prefix 'op' goes to the very end. Let's listen to a short conversation between Bram and Lotte.
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2. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Om zeven uur sta ik op.
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3. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Vandaag bel ik Sofia op.
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4. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Daarna bel ik Daan op.
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5. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Morgen bel ik Sofia op.
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6. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Morgen bel ik Daan op.
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7. Marieke · Teacher
Let's break down those sentences! Bram started with: 'Om zeven uur sta ik op.' This means 'At seven o'clock I get up.' The entire phrase 'Om zeven uur' fills the first slot, so the verb 'sta' comes second, then the subject 'ik', and 'op' closes the clause.
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8. Daan · Student
So even though 'Om zeven uur' is three words, it only counts as one position in the sentence?
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9. Marieke · Teacher
Exactly! Dutch counts whole sentence constituents, not individual words, so the verb 'sta' remains safely in second position.
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10. Marieke · Teacher
Next, Lotte said: 'Vandaag bel ik Sofia op.' This means 'Today I call Sofia.' Here, 'Vandaag' takes slot one, pushing the verb 'bel' second and the prefix 'op' to the end.
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11. Daan · Student
Does the separable prefix 'op' always go at the very end of a declared main clause like this?
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12. Marieke · Teacher
Yes, in a main clause, the separable prefix always gets pushed to the very end.
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13. Marieke · Teacher
Then Bram said: 'Daarna bel ik Daan op.' That translates to 'After that, I call Daan.'
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14. Daan · Student
Does 'daarna' work just like time words such as 'vandaag' or 'morgen'?
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15. Marieke · Teacher
Spot on! 'Daarna' means 'after that' and functions as a time element in slot one, triggering the exact same inversion.
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16. Marieke · Teacher
Lotte continued with: 'Morgen bel ik Sofia op.' This means 'Tomorrow I call Sofia.'
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17. Daan · Student
So whether we use 'vandaag' or 'morgen', the pattern 'time + verb + subject + middle + op' stays identical?
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18. Marieke · Teacher
Precisely! Changing the time word doesn't change the underlying structure.
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19. Marieke · Teacher
Finally, Bram said: 'Morgen bel ik Daan op.' Meaning 'Tomorrow I call Daan.'
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20. Daan · Student
So as long as time comes first, the verb is second, subject third, and 'op' finishes the sentence?
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21. Marieke · Teacher
That is the rule! Put time first and keep the split verb.
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