A complex sentence is one that combines a main clause with at least one subordinate (dependent) clause — a clause that cannot stand on its own and is introduced by a word like dat (that), omdat (because), as (if/when), toe (when, past), or wat (which/that). This is the step up from the compound sentence, where you simply chain two equal main clauses with en or maar. Subordination is where Afrikaans word order becomes genuinely different from English, and where two specific errors trip up nearly every English speaker: keeping main-clause word order inside the subordinate clause, and forgetting to invert the main clause when a subordinate clause is fronted. Master those two points and complex sentences open up.
Main clause vs subordinate clause
A main clause expresses a complete thought and follows the verb-second (V2) pattern you already know: the finite verb sits in the second position. A subordinate clause is grammatically dependent — it leans on the main clause — and it obeys a different rule entirely. The signal that you are entering a subordinate clause is the subordinating conjunction at its front: dat, omdat, as, toe, wat, terwyl, sodat, and others (their meanings are catalogued on subordinating conjunctions).
The headline rule: subordinate clauses are verb-final
Inside a subordinate clause, the finite verb moves to the very end. This is the single most important fact about Afrikaans complex sentences. Where the main clause keeps its verb in second position, the subordinate clause pushes the verb all the way to the back.
Ek weet dat hy kom.
I know that he is coming.
Sy bly tuis omdat sy siek is.
She stays home because she is sick.
Ek hoop dat jy gou beter word.
I hope that you get better soon.
Watch the verb in each subordinate clause. In dat hy kom, the verb kom is last — there is nothing after it. In omdat sy siek is, the verb is sits at the end, after the adjective siek; an English speaker wants omdat sy is siek, which is wrong. In dat jy gou beter word, the verb word waits at the very back, after gou and beter. The conjunction opens the clause, then the subject and everything else line up, and the finite verb closes it.
This verb-final order is the same mechanism that puts participles and infinitives at the end of main clauses (the clause-final verb cluster) — but in a subordinate clause it captures the finite verb too, not just the non-finite parts.
Negation and modals in subordinate clauses
Because the finite verb goes last, anything that would normally sit near it rearranges. The negation nie and the closing nie still bracket the clause, but the verb tucks in at the very end:
Sy sê dat sy nie kan kom nie.
She says that she can't come.
Hy weet dat ek hom nie vertrou nie.
He knows that I don't trust him.
In dat sy nie kan kom nie, the modal kan and the verb kom cluster at the end, with the first nie before them and the closing nie after. Notice how different this is from the main clause Sy kan nie kom nie, where kan sits in second position. Subordination has pulled the whole verb group to the back.
Fronting a subordinate clause inverts the main clause
Here is the second pillar — and the error that most reliably marks a sentence as non-native. When you put the subordinate clause first, the whole subordinate clause occupies the first position of the sentence. Since the main clause must keep its finite verb in second position overall, the verb now comes immediately after the comma, before the main-clause subject. The subject and verb invert.
As jy kom, sal ons eet.
If you come, we'll eat.
Omdat dit reën, bly ons binne.
Because it's raining, we're staying inside.
Toe sy die nuus hoor, het sy gehuil.
When she heard the news, she cried.
Trace As jy kom, sal ons eet. The subordinate clause As jy kom fills slot one. The main clause therefore starts with its verb: sal, then the subject ons, then the rest. You do not say As jy kom, ons sal eet — that leaves the verb in third position, which Afrikaans forbids. The pattern is rock-solid: fronted subordinate clause, comma, verb, subject.
It helps to see the same sentence both ways:
| Main clause first | Subordinate clause first (inversion) |
|---|---|
| Ons bly binne omdat dit reën. | Omdat dit reën, bly ons binne. |
| Ons sal eet as jy kom. | As jy kom, sal ons eet. |
| Sy het gehuil toe sy die nuus hoor. | Toe sy die nuus hoor, het sy gehuil. |
When the main clause comes first, its order is ordinary (subject-verb...). When the subordinate clause is fronted, the main clause inverts to keep the verb second. This inversion is the same V2 mechanism explored on inversion — fronting anything, including a whole clause, triggers it.
Relative clauses with wat
A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun, introduced in Afrikaans most often by wat (which/that/who). Like all subordinate clauses, it is verb-final, and it sits right after the noun it describes.
Die boek wat ek gelees het, was wonderlik.
The book that I read was wonderful.
Die man wat daar staan, is my oom.
The man who is standing there is my uncle.
In wat ek gelees het, the verb cluster gelees het sits at the end of the relative clause — verb-final, exactly as in a dat-clause. Afrikaans uses wat for both people and things, so it covers English "who," "which," and "that" in one word (more on this on subordinate clauses).
Nesting: multiple subordinate clauses
Complex sentences can stack subordination — a subordinate clause can itself contain another. Each subordinate layer keeps its own verb-final order.
Ek dink dat sy weet dat ons kom.
I think that she knows that we are coming.
Hy het gesê dat hy sal help as ons hom nodig het.
He said that he'd help if we need him.
In the second example, dat hy sal help is verb-final (help last), and nested inside the wider structure is as ons hom nodig het, also verb-final (het last). Each clause independently sends its finite verb to the back. Afrikaans handles this nesting comfortably, and so will you once the verb-final reflex is automatic.
Complex vs compound — a quick contrast
Keep the two combining strategies distinct. A compound sentence joins two equal main clauses with a coordinating conjunction (en, maar, of); both keep ordinary main-clause order. A complex sentence subordinates one clause to another; the subordinate clause goes verb-final.
Ek is moeg, maar ek werk nog.
I'm tired, but I'm still working. (compound — both main clauses)
Ek werk nog, hoewel ek moeg is.
I'm still working, although I'm tired. (complex — verb-final subordinate clause)
Notice the verb position flip: in the compound maar ek werk nog, the verb werk is second; in the complex hoewel ek moeg is, the verb is is last. The conjunction tells you which world you are in.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ek weet dat hy kom môre.
Acceptable only if 'môre' is an afterthought; standard order keeps the verb at the very end: dat hy môre kom.
✅ Ek weet dat hy môre kom.
I know that he's coming tomorrow.
In a subordinate clause the finite verb must be last, so the adverb môre comes before the verb, not after it.
❌ Sy bly tuis omdat sy is siek.
Incorrect — V2 order kept inside the subordinate clause; the verb must go to the end.
✅ Sy bly tuis omdat sy siek is.
She stays home because she is sick.
This is the number-one subordinate-clause error: leaving the verb in second position. Push it to the back.
❌ As jy kom, ons sal eet.
Incorrect — no inversion; the verb is stranded in third position after a fronted clause.
✅ As jy kom, sal ons eet.
If you come, we'll eat.
The most common complex-sentence error of all: forgetting to invert the main clause. After a fronted subordinate clause and its comma, the verb comes next, then the subject.
❌ Omdat dit reën, ons bly binne.
Incorrect — subject before verb after a fronted subordinate clause.
✅ Omdat dit reën, bly ons binne.
Because it's raining, we're staying inside.
Whenever a subordinate clause sits first, check that the next word after the comma is the verb.
Key Takeaways
- A complex sentence combines a main clause with one or more subordinate clauses introduced by dat, omdat, as, toe, wat, terwyl, and the like.
- Inside a subordinate clause the finite verb goes to the very end (verb-final) — omdat sy siek is, not omdat sy is siek.
- Fronting a subordinate clause forces the main clause to invert: comma, then verb, then subject — As jy kom, sal ons eet.
- Relative clauses with wat and nested subordinate clauses all keep their own verb-final order.
- Contrast with compound sentences, which join equal main clauses (ordinary V2 order) with en/maar/of.
- The two killer errors are keeping V2 inside the subordinate clause and failing to invert after a fronted one — drill the comma-then-verb pattern until it is automatic.
Now practice Afrikaans
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Afrikaans→Related Topics
- Subordinate Clauses: Verb to the EndA2 — In an Afrikaans subordinate clause the finite verb moves to the very end — the single biggest word-order adjustment English speakers have to make.
- Inversion After a Fronted ElementA2 — When you put something other than the subject first, the subject and finite verb swap places — including after a whole fronted subordinate clause.
- 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.
- Compound SentencesA2 — Join two main clauses with en, maar, of or want and nothing moves — both clauses keep ordinary main-clause order, so coordination is the 'safe' join, unlike subordination.
- 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'.