Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson explores nevenschikkende voegwoorden like en, maar, of, want, and onderschikkende voegwoorden such as als, dat, of, omdat, plus voegwoorden met te + infinitief (om, zonder). Learn their correct use in sentences about pensioen to improve your Dutch sentence structure.
  1. With coordinating conjunctions, the verb is in the second position.
  2. With subordinating conjunctions, the verb comes completely at the end.
Categorie (Category)Voegwoorden (Conjunctions)Voorbeeldzin (Example sentence)
Nevenschikkende voegwoorden (Coordinating conjunctions)en
maar
of
want
Ik ga met pensioen en ik geniet van mijn vrije tijd. (I am retiring and I am enjoying my free time.)
Ik mag met pensioen, maar ik wil dit nog niet. (I may retire, but I do not want to yet.)
Wil je straks naar het strand of zwembad? (Do you want to go to the beach or swimming pool later?)
Ik ga met pensioen want ik heb lang gewerkt. (I am retiring because I have worked for a long time.)
Onderschikkende voegwoorden (Subordinating conjunctions)als
dat
of
omdat
Wat ga je doen als je met pensioen bent? (What are you going to do if you are retired?)
Ik hoop dat ik gauw op pensioen mag. (I hope that I may retire soon.)
Ik vraag hem of hij vrijwilligerswerk doet. (I ask him if he does volunteer work.)
Ik ga men pensioen omdat ik oud ben. (I am retiring because I am old.)
Voegwoorden (Conjunctions) + te + infinitiefom
zonder
Piet gaat met pensioen om te rusten. (Piet is retiring to rest.)
Je kan niet met pensioen zonder een risico te nemen. (You cannot retire without taking a risk.)

Exercise 1: Nevenschikkende en onderschikkende voegwoorden

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

want, en, omdat, om, of, zonder, maar

1.
Ik ga naar buiten ... ik geniet van het mooie weer.
(I am going outside and I am enjoying the nice weather.)
2.
Wil je naar het strand ... naar het zwembad in je vrije tijd?
(Do you want to go to the beach or to the swimming pool in your free time?)
3.
Ik beslis om met pensioen te gaan ... meer vrije tijd te hebben.
(I decide to retire to have more free time.)
4.
Ik neem het risico, ... ik wil genieten van het leven.
(I take the risk, because I want to enjoy life.)
5.
Het pensioen is belangrijk, ... ik wil me ook niet vervelen.
(The pension is important, but I also do not want to be bored.)
6.
Ik doe vrijwilligerswerk ... ik veel vrije tijd heb.
(I do volunteer work because I have a lot of free time.)
7.
Hij ging weg, ... iets te zeggen.
(He left without saying anything.)
8.
Wil je vrijwilligerswerk doen ... ga niet toen tijdens je pensioen?
(Do you want to do volunteer work or not go then during your retirement?)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence regarding coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

1.
Wrong: the verb must be directly after the subject with coordinating conjunctions.
Negation is misplaced here; the word order is incorrect due to the extra word after the verb.
2.
With the subordinating conjunction 'that', the verb should be at the end, not directly after the subject.
Incorrect word order with subordinating conjunctions; the verb should be at the very end.
3.
Wrong: the verb must be at the end of the clause with the subordinating conjunction 'if'.
Wrong order; the verb should be at the end, not directly after 'if'.
4.
Incomplete infinitive; the entire verb must come after 'to'.
Incorrect word order; the whole verb must come after 'to', not before.

Understanding Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions in Dutch

This lesson explores two vital types of conjunctions in Dutch: nevenschikkende voegwoorden (coordinating conjunctions) and onderschikkende voegwoorden (subordinating conjunctions). These words connect clauses and phrases, shaping sentence structure and meaning.

Coordinating Conjunctions (Nevenschikkende Voegwoorden)

These conjunctions link two equal parts of a sentence. Common Dutch examples include:

  • en (and)
  • maar (but)
  • of (or)
  • want (because/for)

Important grammar rule: after a coordinating conjunction, the finite verb stays in the second position of the sentence, just like in simple main clauses.

Examples:

  • Ik ga met pensioen en ik geniet van mijn vrije tijd.
  • Ik mag met pensioen, maar ik wil dit nog niet.

Subordinating Conjunctions (Onderschikkende Voegwoorden)

These conjunctions introduce dependent clauses, modifying or providing context to the main clause. Examples are:

  • als (if/when)
  • dat (that)
  • of (whether/if)
  • omdat (because)

Grammar tip: in subordinate clauses, the finite verb moves to the very end of the clause.

Examples:

  • Wat ga je doen als je met pensioen bent?
  • Ik hoop dat ik gauw op pensioen mag.

Conjunctions with "te" + Infinitive

Some conjunctions are followed by te plus an infinitive verb:

  • om (in order to)
  • zonder (without)

Examples:

  • Piet gaat met pensioen om te rusten.
  • Je kan niet met pensioen zonder een risico te nemen.

Key Differences from English

Unlike English where word order often stays unchanged after conjunctions, Dutch has specific rules:

  • With coordinating conjunctions (like "and"), the verb remains in second position, similar to English.
  • With subordinating conjunctions (like "that", "because"), the verb moves to the end of the clause, which differs markedly from English word order.

Useful phrases learned here include:

  • en — and
  • maar — but
  • of — or / whether
  • want — because/for
  • als — if/when
  • dat — that
  • omdat — because
  • om te — in order to
  • zonder te — without (doing something)

Be aware how these conjunctions influence sentence structure to form clear and grammatically correct Dutch sentences.

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Friday, 18/07/2025 10:49