Breakdown of De problemen nemen toe als we niet samenwerken.
niet
not
het probleem
the problem
samenwerken
to collaborate / to work together
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about De problemen nemen toe als we niet samenwerken.
Why is the verb toenemen split into "nemen" and "toe"?
Toenemen (to increase) is a separable verb. In a main clause, the conjugated part (nemen) goes in the second position, and the prefix (toe) gets pushed to the end of the clause.
Why isn't the verb samenwerken split up at the end of the sentence?
Because als (when/if) is a subordinating conjunction, which pushes the entire verb to the end of the clause. When a separable verb goes to the end of a subordinate clause, its prefix and main verb stick together as a single word: samenwerken. This is exactly how it works for the conjunction sinds from this lesson!
Why is "niet" placed before the verb instead of after it?
In a main clause, niet would normally go after the conjugated verb. But since this is a subordinate clause, the verb is pushed to the very end of the sentence, meaning niet has to go right before it.
Can "als" mean both "when" and "if"?
Yes! In Dutch, als is used for both "when" and "if" depending on the context. In this sentence, translating it as "if we do not collaborate" works perfectly well too.