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Word Order
In Sentence Structure you learned that the verb is always 2nd in a statement. Now for the exceptions: questions put the verb first, and clauses starting with words like ‘omdat’ or ‘als’ send it all the way to the end. Pick the sentence with the right order, see why, and master the inversion.
PICK THE CORRECT WORD ORDER
Quick tips for questions and clauses
Questions (V1)
- ✓Yes/no questions put the verb truly first (V1) — nothing, not even a time word, comes before it: Kun je morgen komen?
- ✓Question words (wanneer, waar, wat, wie) take position 1, and the verb still comes 2nd, right after: Waar woon je?
- ✓This is the mirror image of statements, where the verb is 2nd, not 1st.
Subordinate clauses (verb-final)
- ✓Omdat, als, dat, terwijl are subordinating — they send the finite verb all the way to the end of their clause.
- ✓If that clause comes first in the sentence, the main clause after the comma still needs inversion: Als het regent, blijf ik thuis.
- ✓Want looks similar but is coordinating — it does NOT send the verb to the end.
Golden tip
The classic trap: ‘want ik ben ziek’ (correct, normal order) versus ‘omdat ik ziek ben’ (correct, verb at the end). Same meaning, opposite word order — because want is coordinating and omdat is subordinating. When in doubt, say the sentence both ways and pick the one that matches the conjunction.
Want to master this for good?
Word order is the last piece of the puzzle
In the A1 course you learn statements, questions, and subordinate clauses together — word order, verbs, and vocabulary, all explained in English.