Questions & Answers about Wij zijn te laat omdat er een file is.
Why is the verb is at the very end of the sentence?
The word omdat (because) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and pushes the verb to the end. So, instead of saying omdat er is een file, the verb moves to the end: omdat er een file is.
Could I use want instead of omdat to mean because?
What is the word er doing in the second part of the sentence?
It works just like the English word 'there' in phrases like 'there is' or 'there are'. A normal main clause would be er is een file (there is a traffic jam), but because of omdat, the verb is is separated from er and pushed to the end.
Is the word file related to a computer file or a paper file?
No, file is a false friend. In Dutch, it specifically means a traffic jam or a slow-moving line of cars. For a computer file, you would use the word bestand.