Using Omdat and Dat: Because and That | Dutch Grammar

Two of the most useful joining words in Dutch are omdat (because) and dat (that). They let you explain reasons and report thoughts — "I'm staying home because I'm ill," "I think that it's raining." But they come with a structural twist that trips up almost every English speaker: both are subordinating conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions in Dutch kick the verb to the very end of the clause. Getting your head around this one rule unlocks a huge amount of natural-sounding Dutch.

The headline rule: the verb goes to the end

In an ordinary Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb sits in second position — "Ik blijf thuis" (I'm staying home). But the moment you start a clause with omdat or dat, that clause flips into subordinate word order: the verb is exiled all the way to the end.

Conjunction	...subject...	...rest...	VERB (end)
omdat	ik	—	ziek ben
dat	het	buiten	regent

Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben.

I'm staying home because I'm ill. (verb 'ben' at the very end)

Ik denk dat het regent.

I think that it's raining. (verb 'regent' at the very end)

Notice what happens in the English: in "because I am ill," the verb am sits right after the subject, in the middle. Dutch grabs that verb and drags it past everything else to the back wall of the clause. This is the single hardest reflex to build, because your English instinct keeps the verb in the middle. Train your ear on the shape: omdat / dat + [everything] + verb.

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A handy mental image: omdat and dat are like a vacuum at the end of the clause. The instant you say one of them, the verb gets sucked to the back. Whatever else you want to mention — subject, object, time, place — all goes in before the verb arrives at the end.

Omdat = because (giving a reason)

Omdat introduces the reason for something. The omdat-clause can come after the main clause or before it.

We gaan niet naar het strand omdat het te koud is.

We're not going to the beach because it's too cold.

Ze leert Nederlands omdat haar vriend uit Utrecht komt.

She's learning Dutch because her boyfriend is from Utrecht.

When you put the omdat-clause first, the whole clause counts as the first element of the sentence, so the main clause that follows must start with its verb (verb-second inversion). The pattern is Omdat ... verb, *verb subject ...*.

Omdat het zo hard regende, bleven we binnen.

Because it was raining so hard, we stayed inside. (note: 'regende' ends the first clause, then 'bleven' opens the second)

This "two verbs back to back in the middle" shape — ...regende, bleven... — looks strange at first but is completely standard.

Dat = that (reporting and embedding)

Dat introduces a reported thought, statement, or fact — what someone thinks, says, knows, hopes, or that something is the case. It works after verbs like denken (think), weten (know), zeggen (say), hopen (hope), vinden (find / think), geloven (believe).

Ik weet dat je gelijk hebt.

I know that you're right.

Hij zegt dat hij morgen langskomt.

He says (that) he'll come by tomorrow.

We hopen dat het droog blijft tijdens de wandeling.

We hope it stays dry during the walk.

Here English speakers get a small bonus and a small trap. The bonus: structurally dat always behaves the same way (verb to the end), no exceptions. The trap: in English you can drop "that" — "I think it's raining." In Dutch you generally keep dat in writing and careful speech; dropping it sounds clipped and is best avoided while you're learning.

Ik vind dat je dat best mag zeggen.

I think you're perfectly allowed to say that.

The crucial contrast: want stays in the middle

Here is where it all comes together. Dutch has a second word for because: want. It means almost the same as omdat — but it is a coordinating conjunction, not a subordinating one. That means want does not move the verb: the clause after want keeps normal main-clause order, verb in second position.

	Type	Verb position	Example
omdat	subordinating	verb to the END	...omdat ik ziek ben
want	coordinating	verb stays 2nd	...want ik ben ziek

Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek.

I'm staying home, because I'm ill. (want → verb 'ben' stays in second position)

Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben.

I'm staying home because I'm ill. (omdat → verb 'ben' goes to the end)

Same meaning, opposite word order. A reliable rule of thumb: want feels a touch more casual and cannot start a sentence — it only joins clauses in the middle, after a comma. Omdat is more flexible (it can open a sentence) and is the one you must use whenever the "because"-clause answers the direct question Waarom? in writing. When in doubt, omdat is the safer choice for a learner, precisely because it's grammatically a clean subordinate clause.

Waarom kom je niet? — Omdat ik moe ben.

Why aren't you coming? — Because I'm tired. (answering 'why?' → omdat, verb at end; you cannot answer with 'want')

Common Mistakes

❌ Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ben ziek.

Incorrect — after 'omdat' the verb must go to the end, not stay in the middle as in English.

✅ Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben.

I'm staying home because I'm ill.

❌ Ik denk dat het regent niet.

Incorrect — the verb 'regent' is the last element of the clause; nothing (not even 'niet') comes after it. Negation goes before the final verb.

✅ Ik denk dat het niet regent.

I don't think it's raining. / I think it's not raining.

❌ Ik blijf thuis, omdat ik ben ziek, want het is koud.

Incorrect — 'omdat' still needs the verb at the end. (Also: pick one 'because' per reason.)

✅ Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben, want het is koud.

I'm staying home because I'm ill, since it's cold. (omdat → verb-final; want → verb-second)

❌ Hij zegt hij komt morgen.

Incorrect — Dutch keeps 'dat'; dropping it the way English drops 'that' leaves the clause unmarked.

✅ Hij zegt dat hij morgen komt.

He says (that) he's coming tomorrow.

❌ Want het regende, bleven we binnen.

Incorrect — 'want' cannot start a sentence. To open with the reason, use 'omdat'.

✅ Omdat het regende, bleven we binnen.

Because it was raining, we stayed inside.

Key Takeaways

Omdat (because) and dat (that) are subordinating — they send the conjugated verb to the end of their clause.
Build the reflex omdat / dat + [subject + rest] + VERB; your English instinct to keep the verb in the middle is what to override.
Keep dat in Dutch even though English lets you drop "that."
Want also means because but is coordinating — the verb stays in second position, and want can't begin a sentence.
To answer Waarom? (Why?), use omdat, not want.

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