Formal causes with "daar"
You already know daar as the adverb meaning "there". However, in highly formal written Dutch—such as strict parking regulations, legal notices, and official fines—daar is also used as a subordinating conjunction meaning "since" or "seeing that".
Let's first look at a common formal word you will encounter in these contexts, bevoegd (authorized):
| You are not authorized to park here. | U bent niet bevoegd om hier te parkeren. |
Because daar is a subordinating conjunction, it pushes the conjugated verb to the end of its clause. If the sentence starts with the daar-clause, the main clause that follows will invert its subject and verb (the verb-second rule):
| Since you are not authorized, you risk a fine. | Daar u niet bevoegd bent, riskeert u een boete. |
The daar-clause can also come after the main clause. Notice how the verb in the daar-clause still sits at the end. Here, we see the formal verbs wegslepen (to tow away) and belemmeren (to obstruct):
| We will tow the vehicle away, since it obstructs the road. | Wij zullen het voertuig wegslepen, daar het de weg belemmert. |
Here are a few more examples of official warnings and consequences, featuring terms like het kenteken (the license plate), de wielklem (the wheel clamp), and verhalen (to recover costs):
| Seeing that the license plate is unknown, we are placing a wheel clamp. | Daar het kenteken onbekend is, plaatsen wij een wielklem. |
| Since you are liable, we will recover the costs from you. | Daar u aansprakelijk bent, verhalen wij de kosten op u. |