Ik zou de hondenmand kopen, mits hij goedkoop is.
I would buy the dog bed, provided that it is cheap.
Breakdown of Ik zou de hondenmand kopen, mits hij goedkoop is.
ik
I
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
kopen
to buy
goedkoop
cheap
zullen
shall / will
mits
provided that
de hondenmand
the dog bed
Questions & Answers about Ik zou de hondenmand kopen, mits hij goedkoop is.
Why does hondenmand have an -en- in the middle?
Hondenmand is a compound noun made of hond (dog) and mand (basket/bed). The rule for the linking -en- (often called the tussen-n) is that if the first noun has a plural that ends only in -en (like honden), you use -en- to glue the words together.
I don't see mits very often. How does it work here?
Mits is a conjunction that means "provided that" or "on the condition that." It introduces a dependent clause, which is why it kicks the verb to the very end of the sentence, giving us mits hij goedkoop is.
Why use hij (he) to refer to a dog bed?
Because mand is a de-word (de hondenmand). In written and formal Dutch, you use hij to refer back to singular de-words, even if they are inanimate objects. You would only use het (it) to refer back to het-words.
Why is kopen placed at the end of the first clause?
The first clause uses the conditional structure with zou (would). Because zou acts as an auxiliary (helping) verb here, it takes the standard second position in the sentence and sends the main infinitive verb (kopen) to the end of the clause.
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