Do not look for the term 'finite formation' in your grammar books! I only invented it for the practical purpose of referring to the inseparable combination of 'subject' + 'finite verb'.
We will use the term 'finite formation' to refer to the combination of 'subject' + 'finite verb'. This combination is inseparable.
A normal sentence starts with the FF or to be more precise: the subject, since the subject generally constitutes the first part of the FF (ik zeg).
Inversion
By inversion of the finite formation, we mean that the subject and finite verb switch places.
There are two cases in which inversion (zeg ik ) occurs:
- The sentence (main clause) does not begin with the FF.
- The sentence is a question
The finite verb and the subject only exchange position, the words themselves do not change.
There is yet one exception, namely inversion with the second singular [personal pronoun](#/lesson/Pronouns.Ps01) _jij_ (you): the letter _t_, which is attached to the stem in the present tense, is omitted when the FF is reversed.
Regular | Je gaat naar Amsterdam. | You are going to Amsterdam.
Inversion | Vandaag ga je naar Amsterdam. | Today, you are going to Amsterdam.
Inversion | Ga je vandaag naar Amsterdam? | Are you going to Amsterdam today?
This only goes for _jij_ (informal 'you'), not for _u_ (formal 'you').
The only situation in which the finite form can be interrupted by another word, is in the subordinate and relative clauses, which we will discuss later.