Breakdown of Het huwelijk eindigde toen zij wilden scheiden.
zij
they
willen
to want
eindigen
to end
toen
when / then (in the past)
Questions & Answers about Het huwelijk eindigde toen zij wilden scheiden.
Why are the verbs wilden scheiden pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word toen (when) introduces a dependent clause. In Dutch, this type of connecting word forces all the verbs in its part of the sentence to move to the end.
Could I use wanneer instead of toen to mean 'when' in this sentence?
No, because this sentence is describing a specific event in the past. In Dutch, you must use toen for 'when' in past-tense sentences. Wanneer is only used for questions or for events in the present and future.
When both verbs move to the end, why does wilden come before scheiden?
Even when a word like toen pushes verbs to the end, they typically keep their standard order. The conjugated verb that matches the subject (wilden) is placed before the infinitive verb (scheiden).
How do we know zij means 'they' and not 'she' here?
You can tell by looking at the verb wilden (wanted). Because it has the plural -en ending, zij must mean 'they'. If it were 'she', the verb would be the singular form wilde.
What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of the verb eindigde?