Breakdown of Ik ben vandaag laat omdat het verkeer druk is.
ik
I
zijn
to be
vandaag
today
laat
late
druk
busy / crowded
omdat
because (subordinating)
het verkeer
the traffic
Questions & Answers about Ik ben vandaag laat omdat het verkeer druk is.
Why is the verb is at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the word omdat (because). Omdat is a subordinating conjunction, which means it introduces a dependent clause. In Dutch, dependent clauses send the conjugated verb (in this case, is) all the way to the end of the clause.
Could I use want instead of omdat to say "because"?
Yes, you can! Both want and omdat mean "because". However, want is a coordinating conjunction and does not change the word order. If you use want, the sentence would be: Ik ben vandaag laat want het verkeer is druk.
Why does vandaag come before laat? In English we say "late today".
In Dutch, expressions of time usually come as early as possible in the sentence, right after the conjugated verb. This follows the general Time-Manner-Place rule. So, vandaag (time) comes before laat (how you are).
I learned that bezig means busy. Why is it druk here?
Druk is used to describe a busy situation, environment, or place (like traffic, a city, or a restaurant). You only use bezig when a person is actively occupied with doing a task. Since traffic is a situation, we use druk.
Learn Ik ben vandaag laat omdat het verkeer druk is and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free