Breakdown of De politie zal ons redden als we in gevaar zijn.
zijn
to be
in
in
zullen
shall / will
ons
us (object)
Questions & Answers about De politie zal ons redden als we in gevaar zijn.
Why does the verb zijn go at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the word als (if/when). It is a subordinating conjunction, which means it introduces a dependent clause. In Dutch, these linking words always push the working verb of that clause to the very end. So instead of saying als we zijn in gevaar, you must say als we in gevaar zijn.
Why is redden (to save) placed right before als, rather than next to zal?
The first part of the sentence uses zal (will), which is a helping verb. Just like with verbs such as kan or moet, zal takes the second position in the sentence and pushes the main action verb (redden) to the end of its own clause.
In English we treat 'the police' as a plural group. Why does the Dutch sentence use the singular zal instead of zullen?
This is a very common trap! In English, 'police' is indeed a plural noun (the police are coming). But in Dutch, de politie is strictly singular. You treat it as one single unit, which is why it uses the singular verb zal.
Could als also mean 'when' in this sentence?
Yes! The word als translates to both 'if' and 'when' in English. While 'if' makes the most sense for this specific scenario, grammatically it could also mean 'when we are in danger.' The Dutch word order works exactly the same way for both meanings.