Breakdown of Toen mijn zus zwanger was, wilden zij snel trouwen.
zijn
to be
zij
they
de zus
the sister
snel
fast
willen
to want
mijn
my
toen
when / then (in the past)
zwanger
pregnant
trouwen
to marry
Questions & Answers about Toen mijn zus zwanger was, wilden zij snel trouwen.
Why is was at the very end of the first part of the sentence?
The word Toen (when) is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a dependent clause, which means it "kicks" the conjugated verb (was) all the way to the end of that clause, right before the comma.
Both toen and wanneer mean "when". Why must we use toen here?
In Dutch, toen is strictly used for a specific event or a specific period in the past. Because the pregnancy was a specific past event, you have to use toen. You would use wanneer if it were in the present or future tense, or for repeated events in the past (meaning "whenever").
Why does the second half of the sentence say wilden zij instead of zij wilden?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action! The entire first clause (Toen mijn zus zwanger was) counts as the first "block" of information in the sentence. To ensure the main verb stays in the second position, wilden must come right after the comma, and the subject (zij) flips behind it.
Why is trouwen at the very end of the sentence, rather than right after wilden?
The verb wilden (wanted to) acts as a modal verb here. In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb (wilden) sits in the normal verb position, but any additional infinitive verbs (like trouwen) get pushed to the very end of the sentence.
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