Ik kwam bijna niet vooruit op de fiets. →
I almost did not not manage to move forward on the bike (?)
Yes, that is correct. The wind was blowing against the person on the bicycle, thus that pedalling was very difficult and he could only move slowly.
dankuwel !
(Unlike Silvia) I’m not native Dutch, but I’ll translate into English.
Good afternoon.
Man, the wind is blowing hard today.
I could barely get here on the bicycle. (could barely move; could barely make any progress)
I was almost blown over.
Luckily I’m here now.
Later, on the way back, I’ll have the wind at my back.
Vooruitkomen means to make progress on your way toward something; or to progress in your career; get a better position, get ahead.
“Mijn klompen werden door het vocht aan de grond vastgezogen, en ik kwam bijna niet vooruit.”
My clogs were sucked to the ground by the moisture, and I could barely move. / I could barely get anywhere.
Vooruitgaan means to move in a forward motion (like an arrow); or to get better (when you are sick). With erop it can mean to improve, get better, richer, etc (like a neighborhood).
Vooruit has the general meaning of moving forward. “Vooruit!” can mean Come on! Hurry! Let’s go! (all at the same time) or Go ahead! depending on the context.
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thanks for the detailed answer.
vastgezogen (vastzuigen) is an interesting verb because it means ‘sucked’ and ‘stuck’ at the same time. I can’t seem to think of an exact translation. My clogs were stuck to the wet ground like a vacuum. A vacuum-cleaner is a ‘stofzuiger’ or ‘dust-sucker.’ “Ik zit vast” means “I’m stuck.”
It’s not clear to me whether they’re talking about mud or not, but that is what I have in my mind, rather than, say, wet grass or something. Trying to walk through wet mud in your klompen.