In English, we use "would have" to describe missed past opportunities. In Dutch, you can express these past counterfactuals without using the verb zouden (would). Instead, simply use the past perfect tense (voltooid verleden tijd) in both halves of the sentence.
| If the referee had not disallowed the goal, we would have won the final. | Als de scheidsrechter het doelpunt niet had afgekeurd, hadden we de finale gewonnen. |
Notice how both clauses use the past auxiliary hadden plus a past participle. Translated literally, it reads: "If the referee had not disallowed the goal, we had won the final."
| If he had scored yesterday, we would have received the cup. | Als hij gisteren had gescoord, hadden we de beker gekregen. |
Using zijn
Depending on the main verb, the past perfect is formed with either hebben or zijn. This rule still applies to counterfactuals.
| If it had not been offside, she would have taken the penalty. | Als het geen buitenspel was geweest, had ze de penalty genomen. |
Dropping als
Just like in English ("Had he scored..."), you can omit als (if) and start the condition directly with the auxiliary verb. When you do this, the main clause often begins with dan (then).
| Had the player not kicked, the referee would not have disallowed the goal. | Had de speler niet getrapt, dan had de scheidsrechter het doelpunt niet afgekeurd. |
| Had he scored, we would have been in the final. | Had hij gescoord, dan hadden we in de finale gestaan. |
Questions and Pronominal Adverbs
Use this structure in questions to ask what would have happened. Start with your question word—including pronominal adverbs like waarop (what... on) or waarmee (what... with)—followed by the past perfect auxiliary and the subject.
| What would the captain have stepped on if he had missed the ball? | Waarop had de aanvoerder getrapt als hij de bal had gemist? |
| What would he have thrown if the referee had not been looking? | Waarmee had hij gegooid als de scheidsrechter niet had gekeken? |