Dutch has exactly five coordinating conjunctions, and they are some of the first words you learn: en (and), maar (but), of (or), want (for/because), and dus (so/therefore). The good news is that as a group they share one beautifully simple property: they never change the word order of the clause that follows. Each clause keeps its normal verb-second order, as if the conjunction weren't there at all. The catch is that two of them — want and dus — sit right next to subordinating look-alikes (omdat and daarom) that behave completely differently. This page nails down the simple rule and then defuses the two traps.
The shared rule: equals joined, verb untouched
A coordinating conjunction (Dutch: nevenschikkend voegwoord) joins two grammatically equal elements: two main clauses, two nouns, two adjectives, two verb phrases. The Dutch term nevenschikkend literally means "placing side by side" — and that is exactly the image. The two halves sit side by side as peers, and neither one is grammatically inside the other. Because of that, the second clause keeps the ordinary main-clause shape: subject, then conjugated verb in second position.
Ik kook het eten en jij dekt de tafel.
I'll cook the food and you set the table. (after 'en' → subject 'jij', verb 'dekt' in 2nd position)
Ze wilde komen, maar ze had geen tijd.
She wanted to come, but she didn't have time. (after 'maar' → 'ze' then 'had' in 2nd position)
Bel je me straks of stuur je een appje?
Will you call me later or send a text? (after 'of' → 'je' then 'stuur' in 2nd position)
In every case, take the part after the conjunction, cover up the conjunction, and you have a grammatical Dutch main clause on its own. That is the defining test of a coordinator.
En, maar, of — the safe trio
These three are nearly effortless for English speakers because they map cleanly onto and, but, or and never cause trouble.
We hebben brood, kaas en een paar tomaten in huis.
We've got bread, cheese and a few tomatoes in the house.
Het is klein maar gezellig.
It's small but cosy. (joining two adjectives — still coordinating)
One thing to flag: of also exists as a subordinating conjunction meaning "whether." As a coordinator it means "or" and leaves word order alone; as a subordinator it means "whether" and sends the verb to the end. Compare:
Wil je koffie of thee?
Do you want coffee or tea? (coordinating 'or' — no verb to move here)
Ik weet niet of hij komt.
I don't know whether he's coming. (subordinating 'whether' → verb 'komt' at the end)
The rule of thumb: if you could replace it with "or," it's the coordinating of. If you could replace it with "whether/if," it's the subordinating one — and the verb goes to the end.
Want — the coordinating "because"
Here is the first real trap. Dutch has two words for "because": want (coordinating) and omdat (subordinating). They mean almost the same thing, but they behave oppositely.
Want is coordinating, so the clause after it keeps verb-second order. Omdat is subordinating, so the clause after it has verb-final order.
| Type | Word order | Example tail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| want | coordinating | verb stays 2nd | …want ik ben ziek |
| omdat | subordinating | verb to the END | …omdat ik ziek ben |
Ik ga naar bed, want ik ben doodmoe.
I'm going to bed, because I'm dead tired. (want → 'ik' then verb 'ben' in 2nd position)
Ik ga naar bed omdat ik doodmoe ben.
I'm going to bed because I'm dead tired. (omdat → verb 'ben' at the very end)
Two further facts about want. First, it usually takes a comma before it. Second, it cannot start a sentence — it only links clauses in the middle. If you want to open a sentence with the reason, you must use omdat. And to answer the question Waarom? ("Why?"), Dutch uses omdat, never want.
Waarom ben je zo vroeg? — Omdat de bus eerder ging.
Why are you so early? — Because the bus left earlier. (answering 'why?' → omdat, not want)
Dus — coordinating, but it can also invert
The second trap is dus (so/therefore). It can behave in two ways, and both are correct:
- As a coordinating conjunction: the second clause keeps verb-second order → dus ik heb…
- As a conjunctional adverb: it fills the first slot and triggers inversion → dus heb ik…
Ik heb al gegeten, dus ik hoef niets meer.
I've already eaten, so I don't need anything more. (dus as coordinator → 'ik' then 'hoef')
Ik heb al gegeten, dus hoef ik niets meer.
I've already eaten, so I don't need anything more. (dus as adverb → inversion: 'hoef' before 'ik')
Both are heard constantly in everyday Dutch. The inverted version (dus hoef ik…) sounds slightly more emphatic and is very common in speech. Contrast this with daarom (therefore), which is purely adverbial and always inverts — daarom hoef ik… is the only option, daarom ik hoef… is wrong.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik ga naar bed, want ik doodmoe ben.
Incorrect — 'want' is coordinating, so the verb 'ben' stays in 2nd position, not at the end.
✅ Ik ga naar bed, want ik ben doodmoe.
I'm going to bed, because I'm dead tired.
❌ Want ik ziek was, bleef ik thuis.
Incorrect — 'want' cannot begin a sentence. Use 'omdat' to open with the reason (and then it's verb-final).
✅ Omdat ik ziek was, bleef ik thuis.
Because I was ill, I stayed home.
❌ Ik weet niet of komt hij.
Incorrect — here 'of' means 'whether' and is subordinating; the verb 'komt' goes to the end.
✅ Ik weet niet of hij komt.
I don't know whether he's coming.
❌ Het is laat, daarom ik ga naar huis.
Incorrect — 'daarom' always triggers inversion; 'ga' must come before 'ik'. (Use 'dus ik ga' or 'daarom ga ik'.)
✅ Het is laat, daarom ga ik naar huis.
It's late, therefore I'm going home.
❌ Waarom kom je niet? — Want ik moe ben.
Incorrect — answer 'why?' with 'omdat' (verb-final), not 'want'.
✅ Waarom kom je niet? — Omdat ik moe ben.
Why aren't you coming? — Because I'm tired.
Key Takeaways
- The five coordinating conjunctions are en, maar, of, want, dus — and as a group they leave word order alone (verb stays in 2nd position).
- of has a subordinating twin meaning "whether" (verb to the end); read the meaning to tell them apart.
- want (coordinating "because") keeps the verb 2nd, takes a comma, and can't start a sentence; use omdat to open with a reason or to answer Waarom?.
- dus can be coordinating (dus ik heb…) or adverbial with inversion (dus heb ik…) — both correct. daarom is always inverting.
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Dutch Conjunctions: OverviewA2 — The three families of Dutch joining words — coordinating, subordinating, and conjunctional adverbs — and the word-order effect each one has on its clause.
- Subordinating Conjunctions and Verb-Final OrderA2 — The single rule behind every Dutch subordinate clause: the conjunction sends the finite verb to the end — plus the inversion that follows when the clause comes first.
- Using Omdat and Dat: Because and ThatA2 — How the subordinating conjunctions omdat (because) and dat (that) send the verb to the end of their clause — and why want behaves completely differently.
- Verb-Second (V2) in Main ClausesA1 — The backbone of Dutch main clauses — the finite verb sits in the second position, where 'position' means the second constituent, not the second word.
- Inversion After a Fronted ElementA2 — When anything but the subject opens a Dutch main clause, the subject and finite verb swap — including the hallmark 'verb-comma-verb' collision after a fronted subordinate clause.