Once you can build a single Dutch sentence, the next step is gluing two together: "I'm staying home because it's raining," "I want to come but I have no time." In Dutch, the joining word you choose decides where the verb goes in the second clause — and this is the single biggest word-order discovery at A2. There are two families of joining words, and they do opposite things to the verb. This page teaches the split through one razor-sharp pair, want versus omdat, both meaning roughly "because." For which of the two to pick by meaning, see Want vs Omdat; here we focus on what each does to the word order.
Family 1: the "easy" joiners — verb stays second
The first family is the coordinating conjunctions. The big four for A2 are en (and), maar (but), want (because/for), and of (or). They join two equal main clauses, and — this is the good news — they do not touch the word order. The clause after them keeps its normal shape: subject, then verb in second position, exactly as if it stood alone (see coordinating conjunctions).
Ik blijf thuis, want het regent.
I'm staying home, because it's raining. After 'want': 'het regent' — subject first, verb second, like a normal sentence.
Ik wil komen, maar ik heb geen tijd.
I want to come, but I have no time. After 'maar': 'ik heb' — normal order, verb second.
Hij koopt brood en hij maakt koffie.
He buys bread and he makes coffee. After 'en', the second clause keeps subject-verb order.
Ga je mee, of blijf je thuis?
Are you coming, or are you staying home? After 'of', normal order again.
Memorise these four words as the "leave-it-alone" joiners. You can spot them with a tiny mnemonic — maar, of, en, want — and the clause after them never changes.
Family 2: the "verb-kicking" joiners — verb to the end
The second family is the subordinating conjunctions. The common A2 ones are omdat (because), dat (that), als (if/when), toen (when, in the past), and terwijl (while). These do something English never does: they kick the verb to the very end of their clause (see Verb-Final Order in Subordinate Clauses). The subject comes right after the joining word, then everything else, and the verb closes the clause.
Ik blijf thuis omdat het regent.
I'm staying home because it's raining. After 'omdat': 'het ... regent' — the verb 'regent' is shoved to the end.
Ik weet dat hij ziek is.
I know that he is ill. After 'dat': 'hij ziek is' — the verb 'is' goes last, not 'hij is ziek'.
We gaan naar buiten als het droog is.
We're going outside if it's dry. After 'als': 'het droog is' — verb 'is' at the end.
Ze belde me toen ze thuiskwam.
She called me when she got home. After 'toen': 'ze thuiskwam' — verb at the end.
The minimal pair: want vs omdat
Here is the fastest way to feel the whole distinction. Want and omdat mean almost the same thing ("because"), but they belong to different families — and so they build completely different word order. Say both versions of the same idea and listen to the verb move.
| Joiner | Second clause | Where's the verb? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinating | want | het regent | second (normal) |
| Subordinating | omdat | het regent | last |
With het regent the verb is the only thing after the subject, so the two look identical — a perfect trap. Add one more word and the difference jumps out:
Ik blijf thuis, want het regent hard.
I'm staying home, because it's raining hard. After 'want': 'het regent hard' — verb 'regent' in second position, 'hard' after it.
Ik blijf thuis omdat het hard regent.
I'm staying home because it's raining hard. After 'omdat': 'het hard regent' — the verb 'regent' is pushed all the way to the end, behind 'hard'.
Look at regent hard (after want) versus hard regent (after omdat). Same meaning, opposite order. That swap is the entire coordinating-vs-subordinating split, captured in one pair. Once your ear locks onto it, you can hear which family any joiner belongs to.
A note on the comma
Dutch punctuation here is gentle but worth getting right. Before a coordinating want, maar, or of, a comma is normal (Ik blijf thuis, want het regent). With en joining two short clauses, the comma is usually left out (Hij komt en zij gaat). When a subordinate clause comes after the main clause, you usually write no comma (Ik blijf thuis omdat het regent). But when the subordinate clause comes first, a comma is required, and the main clause then inverts (see Inversion):
Omdat het regent, blijf ik thuis.
Because it's raining, I'm staying home. Fronted 'omdat'-clause, then a comma, then the inverted main verb 'blijf'.
Als je klaar bent, gaan we eten.
When you're ready, we'll eat. Comma after the fronted 'als'-clause; main verb 'gaan' comes right after it.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik blijf thuis, want het hard regent.
Incorrect — 'want' is coordinating, so the verb must stay second; 'regent' shouldn't be at the end.
✅ Ik blijf thuis, want het regent hard.
I'm staying home, because it's raining hard. After 'want', normal order: 'regent hard'.
❌ Ik blijf thuis omdat het regent hard.
Incorrect — 'omdat' is subordinating, so the verb must go to the end, behind 'hard'.
✅ Ik blijf thuis omdat het hard regent.
I'm staying home because it's raining hard. After 'omdat', verb-final: 'hard regent'.
❌ Ik weet dat hij is ziek.
Incorrect — after 'dat' the verb must close the clause: 'ziek is', not 'is ziek'.
✅ Ik weet dat hij ziek is.
I know that he's ill. Verb 'is' at the end of the dat-clause.
❌ Hij komt maar heeft hij geen tijd.
Incorrect — 'maar' is coordinating; the second clause keeps normal order, so no inversion: 'hij heeft'.
✅ Hij komt, maar hij heeft geen tijd.
He's coming, but he has no time. After 'maar', subject-verb order stays put.
Key Takeaways
- Coordinating joiners — en, maar, want, of — leave the verb in second position (..., want het regent hard).
- Subordinating joiners — omdat, dat, als, toen, terwijl — send the verb to the end (...omdat het hard regent).
- The pair want vs omdat is the fastest way to feel the split: same meaning, opposite word order.
- Add an extra word (like hard) to test which family you're in — does it land before the verb or after it?
- A fronted subordinate clause takes a comma and triggers inversion in the main clause (Omdat het regent, blijf ik thuis).
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Coordinating Conjunctions: En, Maar, Of, Want, DusA2 — The five Dutch coordinating conjunctions that join equal clauses without ever moving the verb — and why want and dus are the tricky ones.
- Verb-Final Order in Subordinate ClausesA2 — After a subordinating conjunction, relative pronoun, or question word, the entire verb cluster — including the finite verb — moves to the end of the clause.
- Want vs Omdat: Two Words for 'Because'B1 — Dutch has two words for 'because' — want and omdat — and they are not interchangeable, because they belong to different grammatical families. Want is a coordinating conjunction: the verb stays in second position and the clause can't open the sentence. Omdat is subordinating: it kicks the verb to the end and can start the sentence. This page gives the one decision rule, contrasts them with minimal pairs, and fixes the word-order errors English speakers make.
- 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.
- 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.