Coordination — joining two or more elements with en, of, maar, want or a correlative pair — looks like the simplest syntax there is. But it hides a strict requirement that trips up advanced learners: the things you coordinate must be parallel, meaning the same grammatical category and, usually, the same form. You can join two noun phrases, two full clauses, two prepositional phrases or two infinitives — but you cannot join a noun phrase to a clause, or a bare infinitive to a te-infinitive, and expect the result to sound right. English has the very same constraint ("I like swimming and to cycle" is wrong in English too), so the principle transfers — but Dutch has its own faultlines, especially around the two kinds of infinitive and around the rigidly matched slots of correlative conjunctions.
The governing idea is one sentence long: coordinated items must belong to the same category and appear in the same form, and a correlative pair (zowel…als, niet alleen…maar ook, of…of, noch…noch) demands that whatever follows the first half is matched in kind by whatever follows the second.
The core rule: same category, same form
When en, of or maar joins two elements, those elements should be of the same syntactic type. Two nouns, two adjectives, two PPs, two clauses. This is what lets the reader resolve the coordination instantly: the conjunction promises "more of the same."
Ze is slim, ambitieus en ontzettend grappig.
She's smart, ambitious and incredibly funny. Three coordinated adjectives — perfectly parallel.
We kunnen met de trein of met de auto gaan.
We can go by train or by car. Two parallel prepositional phrases ('met de trein' / 'met de auto').
Hij belde zijn moeder en stuurde zijn zus een bericht.
He called his mother and texted his sister. Two parallel verb phrases sharing the subject.
The moment the two halves stop matching, the sentence feels off-balance even to a reader who can't name the rule. Ze is slim en met veel ervaring ("she is smart and with a lot of experience") jars because an adjective is being coordinated with a prepositional phrase.
The infinitive trap: bare vs te-infinitive
The single most common parallelism error for English speakers in Dutch involves the two kinds of infinitive. After verbs like houden van + a nominalised activity, you use a bare infinitive functioning as a noun (zwemmen, fietsen). But many other contexts require a te-infinitive (te zwemmen, om te fietsen). When you coordinate, both halves must be the same kind — you cannot mix a bare infinitive with a te-infinitive.
Ik hou van zwemmen en fietsen.
I love swimming and cycling. Two bare (nominalised) infinitives — parallel and correct.
Hij probeerde te kalmeren en helder na te denken.
He tried to calm down and think clearly. Two 'te'-infinitives under 'proberen'; note the particle 'na' splits to give 'na te denken'.
Ze besloot te stoppen met roken en meer te bewegen.
She decided to stop smoking and to exercise more. Both halves are 'te'-infinitives, matched.
The classic mistake — Ik hou van zwemmen en te fietsen — coordinates a bare infinitive (zwemmen) with a te-infinitive (te fietsen). It is faulty because the frame houden van governs both, and that frame wants the same form twice. Fix it by making both bare: zwemmen en fietsen.
Correlative conjunctions: matched slots
Correlative (two-part) conjunctions are where parallelism is most visible and least forgiving. Each half of the pair opens a slot, and whatever category you put after the first marker, you must repeat after the second. The high-frequency pairs are:
| Correlative | Meaning | Both slots must be… |
|---|---|---|
| zowel … als … | both … and … | the same category |
| niet alleen … maar ook … | not only … but also … | the same category |
| of … of … | either … or … | the same category |
| noch … noch … | neither … nor … (formal/literary) | the same category |
| enerzijds … anderzijds … | on the one hand … on the other … | parallel clauses |
Ze spreekt zowel vloeiend Frans als redelijk goed Duits.
She speaks both fluent French and reasonably good German. Two parallel noun phrases fill the 'zowel…als' slots.
Hij heeft niet alleen het rapport geschreven, maar ook de presentatie gegeven.
He not only wrote the report but also gave the presentation. Two parallel verb phrases — both past participles closing their clauses.
We gaan of vandaag of helemaal niet.
We're going either today or not at all. Two parallel adverbials in the 'of…of' frame.
When the slots don't match, the correlative reads as broken. Niet alleen schreef hij het rapport, maar ook de presentatie mismatches a full clause (schreef hij het rapport) against a bare object (de presentatie). To repair it, either put a full clause in both slots, or a bare object phrase in both — but not one of each.
Coordinating clauses: watch the verb position
You may freely coordinate two main clauses with en, maar, want or of. Because these are coordinating conjunctions (not subordinating ones), they do not send the verb to the end — each clause keeps its own verb-second order. This is a frequent point of confusion, because subordinators like omdat and terwijl look superficially similar but force verb-final order.
Ik wilde bellen, maar mijn telefoon was leeg.
I wanted to call, but my phone was dead. Coordinated main clauses; verb stays second in both ('wilde', 'was').
Ze blijft thuis, want ze voelt zich niet lekker.
She's staying home, because she doesn't feel well. 'Want' (coordinating 'for/because') keeps verb-second: 'voelt' is second, not final.
Compare the subordinator omdat, which would force …omdat ze zich niet lekker voelt with the verb at the end. The choice between coordinating want and subordinating omdat therefore changes the word order, not just the flavour.
A note on the difference from English
The parallelism rule itself is shared with English, so your English instincts are mostly a help here, not a hindrance. The genuinely Dutch-specific pitfalls are two. First, the bare-vs-te-infinitive split has no English analogue — English uses to-infinitives and -ing forms, and the coordination rules don't line up, so you have to learn which Dutch frame demands which infinitive. Second, coordinating want keeps verb-second while its near-synonym omdat goes verb-final; English for and because don't differ in word order, so this is a structural surprise. Get those two right and your coordination will read as native.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik hou van lezen en te wandelen.
Incorrect — a bare infinitive ('lezen') is coordinated with a 'te'-infinitive ('te wandelen'); the frame 'houden van' wants both bare.
✅ Ik hou van lezen en wandelen.
I love reading and walking. Two bare (nominalised) infinitives, matched.
❌ Ze is intelligent en met veel geduld.
Incorrect — an adjective ('intelligent') is coordinated with a prepositional phrase ('met veel geduld'); they aren't parallel.
✅ Ze is intelligent en heel geduldig.
She's intelligent and very patient. Two coordinated adjectives.
❌ Hij niet alleen kookt, maar ook de afwas doet.
Incorrect — 'niet alleen' has been placed inside the clause, leaving the two halves non-parallel and the word order off.
✅ Hij kookt niet alleen, maar doet ook de afwas.
He not only cooks but also does the dishes. Both slots hold a parallel verb phrase, each verb-second.
❌ Zowel de directeur en de medewerkers waren aanwezig.
Incorrect — the partner of 'zowel' is 'als', not 'en'.
✅ Zowel de directeur als de medewerkers waren aanwezig.
Both the director and the staff were present. The correlative pair is 'zowel…als'.
❌ Ze studeert, want ze wil arts worden, omdat ze mensen wil helpen.
Stylistically broken — stacking 'want' (verb-second) and 'omdat' (verb-final) blurs the word order; pick one causal connector per clause.
✅ Ze studeert geneeskunde, omdat ze arts wil worden en mensen wil helpen.
She studies medicine because she wants to become a doctor and help people. One 'omdat'-clause, verb-final, with parallel coordinated verb phrases inside it.
Key Takeaways
- Coordinated items must be the same grammatical category and, normally, the same form — test by reading each half with the shared frame.
- The big Dutch-specific trap is mixing a bare infinitive with a te-infinitive; the governing verb wants the same kind twice.
- Correlative pairs (zowel…als, niet alleen…maar ook, of…of, noch…noch) open matched slots — keep the same unit (clause, object, action) in both.
- Coordinating conjunctions (en, maar, want, of) keep each clause verb-second; subordinators like omdat force verb-final — don't confuse the near-synonyms want and omdat.
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
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