Learn Dutch: Ze zouden de bijeenkomst plannen, maar opeens werd de baas boos. - They were going to plan the meeting, but suddenly the boss got angry.

In Dutch narratives, zouden (the past tense of zullen) combined with an infinitive like plannen is the standard way to express the future in the past. It shows an intention or plan that existed in the past, similar to saying were going to or would in English.

Why does the Dutch sentence use werd for got angry?

The verb worden means to become or to get when expressing a change of state. While English uses to get for many different things, Dutch specifically uses worden (here in the past tense as werd) when someone becomes an adjective, like becoming angry (boos worden).

Why is the word order werd de baas instead of de baas werd in the second half?

The conjunction maar (but) connects two main clauses without affecting the word order itself. However, the second clause starts with the adverb opeens (suddenly). Because a word other than the subject occupies the first position in that clause, the verb and subject must invert, resulting in opeens werd de baas.

What is the difference between bijeenkomst and vergadering?