Subordinating Conjunctions in Dutch

Overview

Subordinating conjunctions (onderschikkende voegwoorden) are words that introduce subordinate clauses in Dutch. They are the triggers that cause the verb to move to the end of the clause. Understanding these conjunctions is essential for building complex sentences and expressing reasons, conditions, time relationships, and contrasts.

At the A2 level, you will use subordinating conjunctions constantly. Every time you want to say "because," "if," "when," "before," or "although," you are reaching for a subordinating conjunction -- and that means the verb-final rule kicks in. The conjunctions themselves are not difficult to learn, but using them correctly requires combining vocabulary knowledge with the subordinate clause word order.

Unlike coordinating conjunctions (en, maar, of, want, dus), which do not change the word order, subordinating conjunctions always send the verb to the end. This is the key distinction you need to remember.

How It Works

Core Subordinating Conjunctions

Conjunction	Meaning	Category
dat	that	Reporting
omdat	because	Reason
als	if / when	Condition / Time
wanneer	when	Time
voordat	before	Time
nadat	after	Time
terwijl	while / whereas	Time / Contrast
totdat	until	Time
hoewel / alhoewel	although	Concession
zodat	so that	Purpose / Result
of	whether	Indirect question
sinds / sedert	since (time)	Time
doordat	because (cause)	Cause
tenzij	unless	Condition

Sentence Patterns

Subordinate clause after the main clause:

Ik blijf thuis omdat het regent. (I'm staying home because it's raining.)

Subordinate clause before the main clause (causes inversion in the main clause):

Als je komt, bel me. (If you come, call me.)

Voordat ik ga, moet ik eten. (Before I go, I have to eat.)

Omdat vs. Want (Because)

Both mean "because," but they behave differently:

Word	Type	Word order
omdat	Subordinating	Verb at end
want	Coordinating	Normal (verb in second position)

Ik blijf thuis omdat het regent. (verb at end) Ik blijf thuis, want het regent. (verb in second position)

Als vs. Wanneer (When/If)

Als can mean both "if" and "when." Wanneer only means "when" (for time). In practice, als is far more common in everyday Dutch for both meanings. Wanneer is used when you want to be unambiguous about time, or in more formal contexts.

Terwijl: Two Meanings

Terwijl can express simultaneous action ("while") or contrast ("whereas"):

Ik lees terwijl jij kookt. (I read while you cook. -- simultaneous) Hij is lang, terwijl zij kort is. (He is tall, whereas she is short. -- contrast)

Combining Multiple Subordinate Clauses

You can chain subordinate clauses, each maintaining verb-final order:

Ik denk dat hij niet komt omdat hij ziek is. (I think that he's not coming because he's sick.)

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Ik blijf thuis omdat het regent.	I'm staying home because it's raining.	Reason
Als je komt, bel me.	If you come, call me.	Condition, then inversion
Voordat ik ga, moet ik eten.	Before I go, I have to eat.	Time, then inversion
Hoewel het koud is, ga ik fietsen.	Although it's cold, I'm going cycling.	Concession
Ik weet niet of hij komt.	I don't know whether he's coming.	Indirect question
Nadat we gegeten hadden, gingen we weg.	After we had eaten, we left.	Time sequence
Zij wacht totdat de bus komt.	She waits until the bus comes.	Duration
Terwijl ik sliep, belde hij.	While I slept, he called.	Simultaneous
Ik doe het zodat je het begrijpt.	I'm doing it so that you understand.	Purpose
Tenzij het regent, gaan we wandelen.	Unless it rains, we'll go for a walk.	Negative condition

Common Mistakes

Using Want with Verb-Final Order

• Wrong: Ik blijf thuis want het koud is.
• Right: Ik blijf thuis want het is koud. or Ik blijf thuis omdat het koud is.
• Why: Want is a coordinating conjunction and does not change word order. Only omdat sends the verb to the end.

Forgetting Inversion After a Leading Subordinate Clause

• Wrong: Als het regent, ik blijf thuis.
• Right: Als het regent, blijf ik thuis.
• Why: When a subordinate clause comes first, the main clause must start with the verb.

Confusing Als and Of

• Wrong: Ik weet niet als hij komt. (meaning "whether")
• Right: Ik weet niet of hij komt.
• Why: For indirect yes/no questions ("whether"), use of, not als. Als means "if" (condition) or "when."

Mixing Up Omdat and Doordat

• Wrong: Doordat ik moe ben, ga ik slapen. (when you mean personal choice)
• Right: Omdat ik moe ben, ga ik slapen.
• Why: Doordat emphasizes an external cause. Omdat is for general reasons and is more versatile. When in doubt, use omdat.

Usage Notes

There are some regional preferences between the Netherlands and Belgium. In Flemish Dutch, alhoewel is sometimes preferred over hoewel, and sedert may be used where sinds is more common in the Netherlands. However, all these conjunctions are understood everywhere in the Dutch-speaking world.

In formal written Dutch, you may encounter daar used as a conjunction meaning "because" (similar to omdat), but this is archaic and not used in everyday speech.

Practice Tips

• Conjunction drills: Take a simple pair of sentences and combine them with different conjunctions. For example: Het regent. Ik blijf thuis. Practice with omdat, als, wanneer, hoewel, etc.
• Omdat vs. want swap: Whenever you write a sentence with omdat, rewrite it with want (and vice versa). This trains you to switch word order instinctively.
• Journal in Dutch: Write a short daily journal entry using at least three different subordinating conjunctions. This forces you to practice real-world usage.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subordinate Clause Word Order — you must understand verb-final order before tackling the conjunctions that trigger it
• Next steps: Complex Subordinate Clauses — combining multiple subordinate clauses and handling nested structures