Breakdown of Ik ga naar buiten als ik het alarm hoor.
ik
I
naar
to
buiten
outside
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
horen
to hear
als
if / when (condition)
het alarm
the alarm
Questions & Answers about Ik ga naar buiten als ik het alarm hoor.
Does als mean "if" or "when" here?
It can mean both! In Dutch, als is used for both "if" (a condition) and "when" (a recurring or future event). Depending on the exact context, this sentence could mean "if I hear the alarm" or "when I hear the alarm".
Why is hoor at the very end of the sentence?
Because of the word als. It introduces a subordinate clause (a dependent part of the sentence). Words like als push the main verb of that clause, which is hoor in this case, all the way to the end.
What would happen to the word order if I started the sentence with the als part?
The main verb ga would swap places with ik. Because the entire als clause takes up the first spot in the sentence, the main verb must come right after it to stay in the second spot: Als ik het alarm hoor, ga ik naar buiten.
Why do we use naar with buiten?
Because you are moving toward a destination. When you are going "outside", Dutch requires the direction word naar (to), making it naar buiten. If you were already outside, you would just say buiten.
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