Past Events with toen
In Dutch, toen means "when" for specific events or periods in the past.
Toen is a subordinating conjunction, which means it pushes the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. If you start your sentence with the toen clause, the main clause that follows must invert its subject and verb. This keeps the main verb in the second position overall, creating a "verb, comma, verb" pattern.
| When she was pregnant, I married her. | Toen zij zwanger was, trouwde ik met haar. |
You can also place the toen clause in the second half of the sentence. The main clause follows normal word order, and the toen clause still sends its verb to the very end.
| Their relationship was great when they married. | Hun relatie was geweldig toen zij trouwden. |
Life Milestones
This lesson introduces vocabulary for major life events, such as graduating, starting a career, and getting married.
| When she graduated, her career began. | Toen zij afstudeerde, begon haar carrière. |
When a toen clause includes objects or prepositional phrases, that extra information sits right before the verb at the end of the clause.
| When the boys started their studies, they got into a relationship. | Toen de jongens met hun studie begonnen, kregen zij een relatie. |
If the toen clause has multiple verbs (like a helping verb and an infinitive), they cluster together at the very end.
| The marriage ended when they wanted to get divorced. | Het huwelijk eindigde toen zij wilden scheiden. |