Breakdown of We zouden de stadsbus nemen, tenzij die te laat is.
zijn
to be
laat
late
te
too
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
nemen
to take (general, abstract, e.g., transport, medicine)
zullen
shall / will
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
tenzij
unless
de stadsbus
the city bus
Questions & Answers about We zouden de stadsbus nemen, tenzij die te laat is.
Why is there an "s" in the middle of stadsbus?
Stadsbus is a compound noun made from stad (city) and bus (bus). The extra -s- in the middle is a linking sound called a "tussen-s". We often add this -s- between two nouns to make the word easier to pronounce. While there are some patterns, you mostly just have to memorize which compound words get an -s-.
Why is the word die used to mean "it" here instead of het or hij?
De stadsbus is a "de-word". In Dutch, it is very common to refer back to a de-word using the demonstrative pronoun die (meaning "that" or "that one"). This is especially common in everyday speech instead of using personal pronouns like hij. If the vehicle were a "het-word", we would use dat instead.
Why is the verb is at the very end of the sentence?
The word tenzij (unless) introduces a subordinate clause (a dependent part of the sentence). In Dutch subordinate clauses, all verbs are pushed to the end. That is why is comes after te laat.
How does zouden ... nemen translate to "would take"?
Zouden is the past tense form of zullen (will/shall). When you combine zouden with an infinitive verb like nemen (to take), it creates the conditional mood. This is the standard way to express that you "would do" something in Dutch.
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