Breakdown of Wij hebben pech omdat de trein vertraging heeft.
wij
we
hebben
to have
de trein
the train
omdat
because (subordinating)
de vertraging
the delay
de pech
the bad luck
Questions & Answers about Wij hebben pech omdat de trein vertraging heeft.
Why is the verb heeft at the very end of the sentence?
The word omdat (because) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause, which pushes the conjugated verb (heeft) to the very end. So, instead of normal word order (de trein heeft vertraging), it becomes omdat de trein vertraging heeft.
Could I use want instead of omdat here?
Yes, both mean "because," but they require different word orders. Want keeps the normal word order. If you used want, the sentence would be: Wij hebben pech want de trein heeft vertraging.
The English translation says "is delayed," but the Dutch sentence uses heeft. Why?
In Dutch, you do not say that a train is delayed, but rather that it has a delay (vertraging hebben). That is why we use the verb heeft (has) here instead of is.
Does pech mean "unlucky"?
Pech is a noun meaning "bad luck." Just like with the train's delay, Dutch uses the verb hebben (to have) to express being unlucky. You say Wij hebben pech (We have bad luck), whereas in English you would usually use the adjective and say "We are unlucky."
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