If you have worked through the individual connector pages, you have met three separate behaviours scattered across three places. This page pulls them into one map. The single most useful fact about Afrikaans connectors is that the word you choose decides the word order of the clause that follows it. There are exactly three classes, and once you can sort any connector into its class on sight, every word-order error around joining clauses disappears. The killer example is the three ways to say "because" — want, omdat, daarom — which sound almost synonymous but each build the sentence differently.
The three classes at a glance
| Class | What it does to word order | Members |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinating | No change — subject then verb, as in a normal main clause | en, maar, of, want |
| Inverting (conjunctive adverbs) | Fills slot 1, so the verb comes before the subject | dus, daarom, derhalwe, gevolglik, toe, dan, anders, nietemin, nogtans, tog |
| Subordinating | Sends the finite verb to the very end of its clause | dat, omdat, as, toe, terwyl, hoewel, sodat, voordat, nadat, totdat, sodra, aangesien |
The rest of this page demonstrates each class with the same underlying meaning so you can feel the difference, then gives a master reference table.
Class 1: Coordinating — nothing moves
The four coordinators en (and), maar (but), of (or), want (for/because) join equals and leave the following clause in plain main-clause order: subject first, finite verb second. Full detail lives on coordinating conjunctions.
Sy bly tuis, want sy is siek.
She's staying home, because she's sick.
Ek wou kom, maar ek het nie tyd gehad nie.
I wanted to come, but I didn't have time.
Kom jy saam, of bly jy hier?
Are you coming along, or are you staying here?
After want, notice the order is exactly what it would be in a standalone sentence: sy is siek. That is the whole point — want changes nothing.
Class 2: Inverting — verb jumps ahead of the subject
These are really fronted adverbs, not true conjunctions. When one opens a clause it occupies the first slot, and because Afrikaans keeps the finite verb in second position, the verb lands before the subject. Full detail on inverting conjunctions.
Sy is siek, daarom bly sy tuis.
She's sick, that's why she's staying home.
Dit is laat, dus moet ons gaan.
It's late, so we have to go.
Hy het hard gewerk, nogtans het hy gefaal.
He worked hard, nevertheless he failed.
Compare daarom bly sy (verb, then subject) with the coordinating want sy bly (subject, then verb). Same idea, opposite order — purely because of which connector you picked.
Class 3: Subordinating — verb to the end
Subordinators hang one clause off another and send the finite verb to the clause-final slot. Full detail on subordinating conjunctions.
Sy bly tuis omdat sy siek is.
She's staying home because she's sick.
Ek lees terwyl die kinders slaap.
I read while the children sleep.
Ons gaan swem sodra die son uitkom.
We're going to swim as soon as the sun comes out.
In omdat sy siek is, the verb is sits dead last. Contrast it once more with coordinating want sy is siek: identical words, but omdat drags the verb to the end while want leaves it in place. That single contrast is the heart of the whole system.
The "because" trio side by side
Three connectors, one meaning, three word orders. Internalise this and the rest follows.
| Connector | Class | Sentence | Verb position |
|---|---|---|---|
| want | coordinating | Sy bly tuis, want sy is siek. | 2nd (unchanged) |
| omdat | subordinating | Sy bly tuis omdat sy siek is. | final |
| daarom | inverting | Sy is siek, daarom bly sy tuis. | before subject |
There is even a meaning nuance hidden in the syntax: want and omdat both attach the reason ("because she's sick"), but daarom attaches the result ("that's why she stays home"). So the connector you choose changes not only word order but which half of the thought it points at.
Master reference table
Keep this within reach. It maps the high-frequency connectors to their class, meaning, and the word order they impose.
| Connector | Meaning | Class | Effect on word order |
|---|---|---|---|
| en | and | coordinating | none |
| maar | but | coordinating | none |
| of | or / whether | coordinating | none |
| want | for / because | coordinating | none |
| dus | so / therefore | inverting | verb before subject |
| daarom | that's why | inverting | verb before subject |
| derhalwe | therefore | inverting | verb before subject |
| gevolglik | consequently | inverting | verb before subject |
| nietemin / nogtans | nevertheless | inverting | verb before subject |
| tog | yet / still | inverting | verb before subject |
| toe | then / when (past) | inverting (main) / subordinating (clause) | see note below |
| dan | then | inverting | verb before subject |
| dat | that | subordinating | verb to end |
| omdat | because | subordinating | verb to end |
| as | if / when | subordinating | verb to end |
| terwyl | while | subordinating | verb to end |
| hoewel / alhoewel | although | subordinating | verb to end |
| sodat | so that | subordinating | verb to end |
| voordat / nadat | before / after | subordinating | verb to end |
| totdat | until | subordinating | verb to end |
| sodra | as soon as | subordinating | verb to end |
| aangesien | since / given that | subordinating | verb to end |
A practical note on how the comma interacts with class: subordinating clauses are typically marked off with a comma, and when a subordinate clause comes first, the main clause that follows inverts — Omdat sy siek is, bly sy tuis (the whole subordinate clause fills slot 1, so bly leapfrogs sy). This is the same V2 logic driving the inverting class.
Common mistakes
❌ Sy bly tuis, want sy siek is.
Incorrect — want is coordinating, so the verb stays in second position: sy is siek.
✅ Sy bly tuis, want sy is siek.
She's staying home, because she's sick.
❌ Sy bly tuis omdat sy is siek.
Incorrect — omdat is subordinating, so the verb goes to the end: sy siek is.
✅ Sy bly tuis omdat sy siek is.
She's staying home because she's sick.
❌ Sy is siek, daarom sy bly tuis.
Incorrect — daarom inverts, so the verb comes before the subject: daarom bly sy.
✅ Sy is siek, daarom bly sy tuis.
She's sick, that's why she's staying home.
❌ Dit is laat, dus ons moet gaan.
Incorrect — dus inverts; the verb must precede the subject: dus moet ons.
✅ Dit is laat, dus moet ons gaan.
It's late, so we have to go.
❌ Omdat sy siek is, sy bly tuis.
Incorrect — a fronted subordinate clause is slot 1, so the main clause inverts: bly sy.
✅ Omdat sy siek is, bly sy tuis.
Because she's sick, she's staying home.
Key takeaways
- Every connector belongs to one of three classes, and the class fixes the word order: coordinating (no change), inverting (verb before subject), subordinating (verb to the end).
- en, maar, of, want are coordinating; dus, daarom, derhalwe, nogtans, tog, dan are inverting; dat, omdat, as, terwyl, hoewel, sodat, voordat, nadat, totdat, sodra, aangesien are subordinating.
- The "because" trio — want / omdat / daarom — is the master test case for all three behaviours, and daarom points at the result while want/omdat point at the reason.
- toe straddles two classes: inverting when it opens a clause ("then"), subordinating as a conjunction ("when").
- A fronted subordinate clause counts as slot 1, so the following main clause inverts.
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- Coordinating: en, maar, of, wantA2 — The coordinating conjunctions en, maar, of, and want keep normal main-clause word order — and want's coordinating status is exactly why it differs from omdat.
- Subordinating: dat, omdat, as, toe, terwyl, sodatB1 — The conjunctions that introduce a dependent clause — dat, omdat, as, toe, terwyl, sodat and friends — and the one rule they all share: they send the finite verb to the very end of their clause.
- Inverting Conjunctions: dus, daarom, toe, danB1 — The conjunctive adverbs — dus, daarom, derhalwe, gevolglik, toe, dan, anders, nietemin, tog — that sit in first position and force the verb before the subject.
- Temporal Conjunctions: toe, as, wanneer, terwyl, nadat, voordatB1 — The subordinators that locate one event in time relative to another — toe, as, wanneer, terwyl, nadat, voordat, sodra — all sending the verb to the clause end.
- The Verb Bracket: Clause-Final Non-Finite VerbsA2 — In Afrikaans, the finite verb sits second while every other verb — participle, infinitive, separable particle — drops to the very end, framing the clause in a 'verb bracket'.