Breakdown of Mijn auto start niet omdat hij oud is.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
niet
not
de auto
the car
oud
old
mijn
my
omdat
because (subordinating)
starten
to start
Questions & Answers about Mijn auto start niet omdat hij oud is.
Why is the verb is at the very end of the sentence?
The word omdat (because) is a subordinating conjunction. In Dutch, these types of connecting words introduce a sub-clause and push the conjugated verb (in this case, is) to the very end of that clause.
Why does it say omdat hij oud is (because he is old) instead of using a word for 'it'?
In Dutch, you use hij (he) to refer back to singular de-words, even if they are objects like a car (de auto). You only use het (it) to refer back to het-words.
The translation says the car 'won't start', but where is the Dutch word for 'won't'?
The Dutch sentence literally says 'My car starts not' (start niet). While English often uses 'will not' or 'won't' to express that a machine is refusing to work, Dutch simply uses the standard present tense to state the fact.
In the first part of the sentence (Mijn auto start niet), why does niet come after the verb?
In a regular main clause, the conjugated verb must be in the second position. Here, the subject Mijn auto is in position 1, and the verb start is in position 2. The negative word niet naturally follows the verb.
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