Coordinating Conjunctions in Dutch

In Brief

The main Dutch coordinating conjunctions are en (and), of (or), maar (but), want (because/for) and dus (so/therefore). They join equal words, phrases or main clauses. When they connect two main clauses, the second clause normally keeps ordinary main-clause word order: Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek — not want ik ziek ben.

Overview

A conjunction is a linking word: it connects parts of a sentence. A coordinating conjunction links elements of equal grammatical status. That might be two nouns (koffie en thee), two descriptions (klein maar gezellig) or two complete main clauses (sentences that can stand on their own).

This is an A1 topic because these five short words let you move quickly from isolated statements to natural connected speech. Dutch and English often match closely here: en means “and,” of means “or,” and maar means “but.” The most important structural lesson is that these words do not turn the clause after them into a subordinate clause.

That last point matters because Dutch subordinate clauses commonly put the verb or verb group near the end. Compare want ik ben ziek with omdat ik ziek ben. Both can express a reason, but their word order is different. Master the simple coordinating pattern first; later sections explain where of and dus can behave differently.

How It Works

The five core conjunctions

Conjunction	Core meaning	Typical relationship	Simple example
en	and	addition	Sara en Mo
of	or	choice or alternative	vandaag of morgen
maar	but	contrast or correction	duur maar goed
want	because, for	reason or explanation	Ik ga, want het is laat.
dus	so, therefore	result or conclusion	Het is laat, dus ik ga.

The labels “reason” and “result” are worth separating. With want, the second clause gives the cause or explanation:

• Ik neem een jas mee, want het is koud.
  I am taking a coat because it is cold.

With dus, the second clause gives the consequence:

• Het is koud, dus ik neem een jas mee.
  It is cold, so I am taking a coat.

The same situation is viewed from opposite directions: claim + reason with want, but cause + result with dus.

Joining words and phrases

When the conjunction joins individual words or short phrases, place it directly between them:

• brood en kaas — bread and cheese
• met de bus of met de trein — by bus or by train
• moeilijk maar interessant — difficult but interesting
• niet vandaag maar morgen — not today but tomorrow

The linked parts normally perform the same job in the sentence. In Ik spreek Nederlands en Engels, both Nederlands and Engels are objects of spreek: they name what the speaker speaks.

Joining two main clauses

Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second rule: the finite verb (the verb marked for person and tense) normally occupies the second grammatical position. If the subject comes first, the basic pattern is:

subject + finite verb + rest

• Ik + blijf + thuis.
• Ik + ben + ziek.

A coordinating conjunction stands between two clauses but does not count as the first position inside the second clause. The second clause therefore keeps its own main-clause structure:

main clause + conjunction + subject + finite verb + rest

• Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek.
• Zij wil komen, maar zij heeft geen tijd.
• Het regent, dus we nemen de bus.

This is close to English word order and is a useful beginner shortcut. Do not move the finite verb to the end after en, of, maar, want or conjunction-like dus.

If another element begins the second clause, ordinary Dutch inversion still applies: the finite verb comes before the subject because that first element occupies position one.

• We gaan wandelen, maar morgen blijft Noor thuis.
• Je kunt nu bellen of later stuur je een bericht.

The conjunction itself did not cause the inversion; morgen or later did.

Leaving repeated material out

Dutch often avoids repeating words that are understood from the first part:

• Mila koopt brood en kaas.
• Mila koopt brood en Amir koopt kaas.
• Mila koopt brood, maar geen kaas.

In the last example, Mila koopt is understood before geen kaas. This is called ellipsis (leaving out words that the listener can easily supply). It is common and natural when the two linked parts have a clear parallel structure.

Negative coordination

A frequent pattern is niet ... maar ... (“not ... but ...”). It corrects one idea and replaces it with another:

• We gaan niet vrijdag maar zaterdag. — We are not going Friday but Saturday.
• Dat is geen thee maar koffie. — That is not tea but coffee.

Use geen rather than niet before an indefinite noun when ordinary Dutch negation requires it: geen thee maar koffie.

Punctuation

Before en or of joining short words and phrases, do not use a comma:

• koffie, en thee → koffie en thee
• maandag, of dinsdag → maandag of dinsdag

Between two clauses, a comma before maar, want or dus usually makes the boundary clear, especially when both clauses are complete. A comma before en or of is often unnecessary in a short sentence, but it can clarify a long sentence or prevent a misleading reading. Dutch does not use the English-style serial or “Oxford” comma as a general default: write brood, kaas en fruit.

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Ik spreek Nederlands en Engels.	I speak Dutch and English.	en joins two nouns.
Noor werkt en studeert.	Noor works and studies.	en joins two verbs with one subject.
We eten brood, kaas en fruit.	We eat bread, cheese and fruit.	No default comma before the final en.
Wil je koffie of thee?	Do you want coffee or tea?	of presents a choice.
Gaan we met de fiets of nemen we de bus?	Are we going by bike, or are we taking the bus?	of joins two questions.
De kamer is klein maar gezellig.	The room is small but cozy.	Short contrast between descriptions.
Het is koud, maar mooi.	It is cold, but beautiful.	maar contrasts two qualities.
Ik wil komen, maar ik moet werken.	I want to come, but I have to work.	Each clause keeps main-clause order.
Zij drinkt geen koffie maar thee.	She does not drink coffee but tea.	geen ... maar ... corrects the first option.
Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek.	I am staying home because I am ill.	The second clause gives the reason.
Neem een paraplu mee, want het regent.	Take an umbrella because it is raining.	want explains the advice.
Het regent, dus we blijven binnen.	It is raining, so we are staying inside.	The second clause is the result.
De winkel is dicht, dus ik kom morgen terug.	The shop is closed, so I will come back tomorrow.	dus introduces a conclusion.
Je kunt nu bellen of je kunt een bericht sturen.	You can call now or you can send a message.	Two complete alternatives.
Hij kookt en zij doet de afwas.	He cooks and she does the dishes.	Two equal main clauses.

Common Mistakes

Putting the verb at the end after want

• Wrong: Ik blijf thuis, want ik ziek ben.
• Right: Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek.
• Why: Want coordinates two main clauses. The second clause keeps main-clause word order. The verb-final pattern belongs to a subordinate clause: omdat ik ziek ben.

Using want for a result

• Wrong: Het regent, want we blijven binnen.
• Right: Het regent, dus we blijven binnen.
• Why: Staying inside is the result of the rain, not the explanation for it. Use dus for the consequence. Reverse the order to use want naturally: We blijven binnen, want het regent.

Copying English or into Dutch

• Wrong: Wil je koffie or thee?
• Right: Wil je koffie of thee?
• Why: Dutch of corresponds to English “or.” The similar spelling makes this a common slip for English-speaking beginners.

Adding unnecessary commas to a simple list

• Wrong: Ik koop brood, kaas, en melk.
• Right: Ik koop brood, kaas en melk.
• Why: Standard Dutch normally has no serial comma before en in a straightforward list.

Confusing maar with alleen

• Wrong: Ik heb maar één broer when you mean “But I have one brother.”
• Right: Maar ik heb één broer.
• Why: At the start, maar can be the conjunction “but.” Next to a quantity, maar often means “only”: Ik heb maar één broer means “I have only one brother.” Position and context determine the meaning.

Using subordinate order after every of

• Wrong: Wil je koffie of je thee wilt?
• Right: Wil je koffie of wil je thee?
• Why: Here of coordinates alternatives, so the second question has main-clause order. Verb-final order occurs when of means “whether,” as explained below.

Usage Notes

En is the neutral everyday way to add information. Repeating it is natural in spontaneous speech, though polished writing may divide a very long chain into shorter sentences.

Maar can soften a disagreement or introduce a qualification: Dat klopt, maar ... (“That is true, but ...”). In conversation, a sentence may even begin with Maar: Maar dat wist ik niet! (“But I didn’t know that!”). The old rule that a sentence must never begin with “and” or “but” is not a useful description of modern Dutch.

Want is common in speech and neutral writing. English “because” often translates as either want or omdat, but they are not structurally interchangeable. Want starts a coordinated explanation and keeps main-clause order; omdat introduces a subordinate clause and sends its verb group to the end.

Dus is extremely common in conversation, both for a genuine logical result and as a discourse word that helps a speaker continue or sum up: Dus, wat gaan we doen? (“So, what are we going to do?”). In formal argument, make sure the conclusion really follows from what came before.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these distinctions at A1, but they explain patterns you will soon encounter.

Of can mean “whether/if”

Coordinating of links alternatives and keeps main-clause order:

• Komt Eva of blijft ze thuis? — Is Eva coming, or is she staying home?

Subordinating of introduces an indirect yes/no question and means “whether” or “if.” Its clause has subordinate word order, with the verb at the end:

• Ik weet niet of Eva thuisblijft. — I do not know whether Eva is staying home.
• Kun je vragen of hij morgen komt? — Can you ask if he is coming tomorrow?

The meaning tells you which structure you have: a direct choice uses coordinating of; an embedded uncertainty uses subordinating of.

Dus can occupy a clause position

In the beginner pattern, treat dus like the linker between two clauses:

• Ik ben moe, dus ik ga naar bed.

But dus can also act like a sentence adverb (a word commenting on the relation between sentences) and occupy the first position of its clause. Then verb-second order produces inversion:

• Ik ben moe. Dus ga ik naar bed.

Both express “I am tired, so I am going to bed.” The second presentation gives dus more independence and often sounds like a clearly drawn conclusion. This flexibility is one reason grammatical descriptions do not always classify every use of dus in exactly the same way.

Coordination can link larger structures

The linked elements can be whole phrases or clauses containing several verbs:

• Zij wil in Rotterdam wonen en elke dag naar Den Haag reizen.
• Hij heeft gebeld, maar ik heb niet opgenomen.
• We kunnen thuis eten of we kunnen naar dat nieuwe restaurant gaan.

The principle remains the same: coordinate structures of equal status, and preserve the word order required inside each structure.

Meaning depends on scope

Scope means which part of the sentence a word applies to. Compare:

• Ik nodig Anna en Mo niet uit. — Depending on context, the negation can be unclear.
• Ik nodig niet Anna maar Mo uit. — I am inviting Mo, not Anna.
• Ik nodig Anna niet uit, maar Mo wel. — I am not inviting Anna, but I am inviting Mo.

Parallel phrasing and niet ... maar ... can remove ambiguity. In careful writing, repeat enough of the clause to make the intended contrast obvious.

Practice Tips

1. Build cause-and-result pairs. Start with two facts, then make both versions: Ik ga naar huis, want ik ben moe and Ik ben moe, dus ik ga naar huis. This trains the difference between explanation and consequence.
2. Mark the finite verbs. In every two-clause example, underline the verb marked for tense. Check that each coordinated main clause follows verb-second order: ik blijf / ik ben.
3. Expand short phrases gradually. Begin with koffie of thee, then make Wil je koffie of wil je thee? Finally contrast it with indirect-question of: Ik weet niet of je thee wilt.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: Discourse Connectors — develops this basic linking skill with words such as bovendien, echter, daarom and kortom for coherent B2-level speech and writing.