Breakdown of Het kind mag niet buiten spelen, want het is gevaarlijk.
zijn
to be
niet
not
het kind
the child
spelen
to play
Questions & Answers about Het kind mag niet buiten spelen, want het is gevaarlijk.
Why is the word order in the second part of the sentence (het is gevaarlijk) just standard subject-verb?
The word want (because) is a coordinating conjunction. This means it connects two main clauses without changing the word order. After want, you simply use the normal structure: subject (het) + verb (is) + the rest (gevaarlijk).
Why is spelen (to play) at the very end of the first clause?
This happens because of the modal verb mag (is allowed to). In Dutch, when you use a modal verb, it takes the normal verb spot (second position) and kicks the main action verb in its full infinitive form (spelen) to the very end of that clause.
Since het kind (the child) is an "it" subject, why is the verb mag instead of "magt"?
The verb mogen (to be allowed to) is an irregular modal verb. For all singular subjects (I, you, he, she, it), the conjugation is always just mag without an added -t.
Why does niet (not) go right before buiten?
In Dutch, niet generally comes after the main conjugated verb (mag). When there is a word describing a location or direction, like buiten (outside), the word niet is usually placed directly in front of it.