The imperative conditional (en / of)

Warnings and Threats (of)

Express a strong warning or threat by combining a command (the imperative) with the conjunction of (or): "Do this, or else this will happen."

Because of is a coordinating conjunction, the second clause uses normal word order (Subject + Verb).

Watch out, or the lifeguard will get angry.
Kijk uit, of de badmeester wordt boos.
Pay attention to the flag, or you will drown in the current.
Let op de vlag, of je verdrinkt in de stroming.
Come out of the water, or it is too late to rescue you.
Kom uit het water, of het is te laat om je te redden.

Promises and Outcomes (en)

To highlight a logical outcome, use a command followed by en (and): "Do this, and this will happen." Like of, en does not change the word order of the following clause.

Call the lifeguard, and he will remove the jellyfish.
Roep de badmeester, en hij verwijdert de kwal.
Watch out for the jellyfish, and you will not get injured.
Kijk uit voor de kwal, en je raakt niet gewond.

Drawing Conclusions (dus)

Use dus (so, therefore) to connect a situation to a logical consequence. Dus is flexible: it can act as a coordinating conjunction (Subject + Verb) or as an adverb at the start of the clause (triggering Verb + Subject inversion).

The flag is red, so you must watch out.
De vlag is rood, dus je moet uitkijken.
The current is the strongest here, so we will not swim.
De stroming is hier het sterkst, dus zwemmen we niet.
The sea is too dangerous to swim in, so the swimmer is going home.
De zee is te gevaarlijk om in te zwemmen, dus gaat de zwemmer naar huis.

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