When planning a new business or weighing entrepreneurial risks, you often need to explore hypothetical scenarios. To say "suppose that" or "imagine that," use stel dat.
Because this phrase ends with the subordinator dat, it introduces a subordinate clause. This means the conjugated verb is pushed to the very end of the clause.
| Suppose that we do not get the funding. | Stel dat we de financiering niet krijgen. |
| Suppose that we scale up too fast. | Stel dat we te snel opschalen. |
| Suppose that we go bankrupt during the growth phase. | Stel dat we failliet gaan tijdens de groeifase. |
Educated assumptions
To express an educated assumption or set a condition for your plans, use aangenomen dat (assuming that). Just like stel dat, it introduces a subordinate clause and sends its verb to the end.
| The founder stays, assuming that we do not go bankrupt. | De oprichter blijft, aangenomen dat we niet failliet gaan. |
If you start the entire sentence with the hypothetical clause, that whole clause acts as the first "piece" of the sentence. To satisfy the Dutch verb-second rule, the main clause that follows it must immediately begin with its conjugated verb (triggering inversion).
| Assuming that the capital is available, we start tomorrow. | Aangenomen dat het kapitaal beschikbaar is, starten we morgen. |
| Assuming that we get the funding, we must scale up profitably. | Aangenomen dat we de financiering krijgen, moeten we rendabel opschalen. |