Question 1

Why do we use zou doorgaan here instead of a regular past tense verb?

Accepted Answer

This is the "future in the past." The parents were angry in the past (waren boos), and at that time, the fact that the party wasn't going to happen was a future prospect. To express "would" or "was going to" in a past narrative, Dutch uses the past tense of zullen (zou for a singular subject, zouden for plural) combined with an infinitive (doorgaan).

Question 2

I know that words meaning "because" often push the verb to the end of the sentence. Why didn't that happen here?

Accepted Answer

The word want (because) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it joins two main clauses together without changing the word order. The structure after want stays as Subject (het feest) + Verb (zou). If the sentence had used omdat (which also means because), it would trigger a subordinate clause and push the conjugated verb to the end: ... omdat het feest niet zou doorgaan.

Question 3

What exactly does doorgaan mean in this context?

Accepted Answer

Literally, doorgaan is a separable verb meaning "to go through" (door + gaan). However, when talking about events, plans, or appointments, it is the standard way to say "to happen," "to take place," or "to go ahead."

Question 4

Why does niet come right before doorgaan?

Accepted Answer

In Dutch, when you negate the main action or the whole idea of a sentence, niet usually goes as far back in the clause as possible. Because the infinitive doorgaan must sit at the very end of the clause, niet takes its place directly in front of it.

De ouders waren boos, want het feest zou niet doorgaan.

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