Word
Als hij dit niet zegt, gebruikt hij dan deze smoes?
Meaning
If he does not say this, does he use this excuse then?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Als hij dit niet zegt, gebruikt hij dan deze smoes?
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
niet
not
zeggen
to say
deze
this / these
Questions & Answers about Als hij dit niet zegt, gebruikt hij dan deze smoes?
Why is niet placed right before zegt in the first part?
In a subordinate clause (like the one starting with Als), the working verb (zegt) moves to the very end of that clause. The word niet generally goes right before that final verb, and after a specific direct object like dit.
Why does the second half say gebruikt hij instead of hij gebruikt?
The entire first clause (Als hij dit niet zegt) acts as the first block of information in the sentence. Because Dutch main clauses always put the verb in the second position, the verb gebruikt must come next. This pushes the subject hij to the other side of the verb.
Why does the sentence use both dit and deze to mean "this"?
Dit is used on its own in the first half to refer to a general thing being said. Deze is used in the second half because it specifically describes smoes, which is a de-word (de smoes). If you were pointing to a het-word instead, you would use dit before the noun.
Is the word dan required here?
It is not strictly required, but it is very common and natural. It works exactly like "then" in English to complete the "if... then..." (als... dan...) structure between the two halves of the sentence.