Breakdown of Word je lid, dan mag je hier zwemmen.
hier
here
zwemmen
to swim
mogen
to be allowed to / may
dan
then
worden
to become
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
het lid
the member
Questions & Answers about Word je lid, dan mag je hier zwemmen.
Why does this sentence start with the verb Word instead of a word for 'if'?
This sentence uses a 'verb-first conditional.' In Dutch, you can drop the word als (if) completely just by putting the verb at the very beginning of the sentence. It means exactly the same thing as starting with Als je lid wordt (If you become a member).
Why is it spelled Word je instead of Wordt je with a 't'?
Whenever the subject je or jij (you) comes right after the verb instead of before it, the verb drops its -t ending. Because the verb-first conditional structure forces the verb to the front, je comes second, so wordt loses its 't'.
Does lid mean the same thing as the English word 'lid'?
No, this is a false friend! In Dutch, lid means 'member'. So lid worden means 'to become a member'. If you are looking for the Dutch word for a lid on a pot, that would be deksel.
Why does the second half say dan mag je instead of dan je mag?
This is because of the Dutch 'verb second' rule. In a standard clause, the conjugated verb must be in the second position. The word dan (then) takes the first position, so the verb mag (may) has to come next, pushing the subject je to the third spot.
Why is zwemmen pushed all the way to the end of the sentence?
The second half of the sentence uses the modal verb mag (may / are allowed to). When you use a modal or helping verb in Dutch, the main action verb (zwemmen) gets pushed to the very end of the clause in its full dictionary form (the infinitive).
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