Breakdown of Hij wordt misselijk als hij in de wilde achtbaan gaat.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
in
in
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
worden
to become
Questions & Answers about Hij wordt misselijk als hij in de wilde achtbaan gaat.
Why is it wordt misselijk instead of krijgt misselijk for 'gets nauseous'?
In Dutch, the verb krijgen is only used when you receive a physical object or condition (like getting a gift or getting a cold). When 'to get' really means 'to become' an adjective (like getting nauseous, tired, or old), you must use the verb worden (to become).
Can I use wanneer instead of als to mean 'when'?
Yes! For general conditions or things that happen repeatedly in the present or future, als and wanneer both mean 'when' (or 'if') and can be used interchangeably. Als is just a bit more common in spoken Dutch. Just remember that for single events in the past, you must use toen instead.
Why is the verb gaat at the very end of the sentence?
The word als is a subordinating conjunction, meaning it introduces a dependent subclause. In Dutch, subclauses use a different word order where all verbs are pushed to the very end. So instead of als hij gaat in..., the order becomes als hij in de wilde achtbaan gaat.
Why does the adjective wild have an extra -e at the end (wilde)?