Leer de irreële voorwaarde met "als" + onvoltooid verleden tijd, en "zou" + infinitief, bijvoorbeeld: als ik rijk was, zou ik reizen. Ontdek hoe je denkbeeldige situaties uitdrukt met zinnen zoals "Als ik tijd had, zou ik veel romans lezen."
  1. Formula: 'Als' + onvoltooid verleden tijd, 'zou/zouden' + infinitief.
  2. The situation is unlikely or unreal.
  3. Use it often with wishes or hypothetical ideas.
Bijzin: voorwaarde (Subordinate clause: condition)Hoofdzin: resultaat (Main clause: result)
Als ik tijd had, (If I had time,)zou ik veel romans lezen. (I would read a lot of novels.)
Als het horrorverhaal echt was, (If the horror story were real,)zou ik heel bang zijn. (I would be very scared.)
Als ik rijk was, (If I were rich,)zou ik de wereld rondreizen. (I would travel around the world.)
Als zij vaker las, (If she read more often,)zou haar literatuurkennis groeien. (her knowledge of literature would grow.)

Exceptions!

  1. The main clause often follows the condition, but it can also come first.

Exercise 1: De irreële voorwaarde

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

lezen, vroeg, zouden, was, zou, werkte, had

1. Hebben:
Als ik tijd ..., zou ik een roman lezen.
(If I had time, I would read a novel.)
2. Zullen:
Als jij vaker las, ... je meer van poëzie houden.
(If you read more often, you would like poetry more.)
3. Zijn:
Als jij stil ..., zou ik beter kunnen luisteren.
(If you were quiet, I could listen better.)
4. Vragen:
Als ze het ..., zou ik haar een boek uitlenen.
(If she asked, I would lend her a book.)
5. Werken:
Als jij minder ..., zou je meer tijd hebben om te lezen.
(If you worked less, you would have more time to read.)
6. Zullen:
Als we in een bibliotheek werkten, ... we veel boeken lezen.
(If we worked in a library, we would read many books.)
7. Hebben:
Als ik meer geld ..., zou ik een auto kopen.
(If I had more money, I would buy a car.)
8. Lezen:
Als het vandaag mooi weer was, gingen we buiten ....
(If the weather were nice today, we would go outside to read.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the sentence that is correct for the irrealis conditional. Pay attention to the correct use of 'als' + simple past and 'zou/zouden' + infinitive.

1.
Wrong because in the main clause 'zal' is used instead of 'zou', which is required for an irrealis conditional.
Wrong because 'heb gekend' is present perfect tense, while the irrealis conditional requires the simple past.
2.
Wrong because the subordinate clause starts with 'Zou' and 'hebben' is in the infinitive; the subordinate clause must use the simple past and start with 'als'.
Wrong because in the main clause 'zal' is used instead of 'zou', whereas 'zou' is required in the irrealis conditional.
3.
Wrong because the subordinate clause is incorrectly formed; 'zou zijn' is not allowed in the subordinate clause of irrealis conditionals.
Wrong because the main clause does not use 'zou'; 'koop' is present tense and does not fit an irrealis conditional.
4.
Wrong because the subordinate clause starts with 'Zou' and 'lezen' is in the infinitive; the subordinate clause must begin with 'als' and use the simple past.
Wrong because in the main clause 'zal' is used instead of 'zou', which is required for an irrealis conditional.

The Unreal Conditional in Dutch: De irreële voorwaarde

This lesson covers an important Dutch grammar structure used to express imaginary or unlikely situations, known as the irreële voorwaarde or unreal conditional. It helps you talk about hypothetical scenarios that are not true or are unlikely to happen.

Lesson Content Overview

The unreal conditional consists of two parts: a conditional clause (bijzin) and a main clause (hoofzin). The structure is usually:

  • Bijzin: Begins with als (if) + onvoltooid verleden tijd (simple past tense)
  • Hoofdzin: Contains zou or zouden + infinitive verb

Example sentences include:

Conditional clause (bijzin)Main clause (hoofzin)
Als ik tijd had,zou ik veel romans lezen.
Als het horrorverhaal echt was,zou ik heel bang zijn.
Als ik rijk was,zou ik de wereld rondreizen.
Als zij vaker las,zou haar literatuurkennis groeien.

How It Works

The structure points to situations that are imagined or unlikely to happen:

  • Als is the conjunction "if" introducing the imagined condition.
  • The verb in the conditional clause is in the simple past tense but refers to an unreal or hypothetical state.
  • Zou (would) + infinitive verb in the main clause expresses the result or consequence of that unreal condition.

This pattern is commonly used to express wishes or hypothetical ideas about what someone would do if circumstances were different.

Important Notes

  • The conditional clause often comes first but can be placed after the main clause.
  • The verb forms must be correct: als + simple past in the conditional clause and zou/zouden + infinitive in the main clause.
  • This conditional expresses situations that are contrary to reality or very unlikely.

Useful Words and Expressions

  • als — if
  • had, was, las — simple past tense forms used in unreal conditions
  • zou, zouden — would (modal auxiliary used in main clause)
  • infinitive verbs like lezen (to read), zijn (to be), reizen (to travel), groeien (to grow)

Instruction Language Considerations

In this lesson, the instruction language is English and the learning language is Dutch. Therefore, explanations and examples focus on clarifying the Dutch grammar and usage without translating Dutch examples into English, as this helps learners internalize Dutch phrasing. The unreal conditional in Dutch uses the simple past tense in a specific way unlike English, where you often use constructions like "If I had time" + "I would read." Dutch uses als + simple past (e.g., had) and zou/zouden + infinitive, aligned with English conditional mode but with its own structure rules.

Examples of Dutch phrases with their English equivalents for comparison:

  • Als ik tijd had, zou ik veel romans lezen. — "If I had time, I would read many novels."
  • Als zij vaker las, zou haar kennis verbeteren. — "If she read more often, her knowledge would improve."

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Monday, 01/09/2025 19:28