Breakdown of Als u een noodsituatie ziet, dan belt u onmiddellijk de politie.
een
a/an
u
you (formal)
zien
to see
bellen
to call
dan
then
als
if / when (condition)
de politie
the police
de noodsituatie
the emergency
onmiddellijk
immediately
Questions & Answers about Als u een noodsituatie ziet, dan belt u onmiddellijk de politie.
Why do we use dan here, and what does it do to the word order?
The word dan (then) is a resumptive adverb. It picks up the condition set in the first clause (Als u een noodsituatie ziet). Because dan occupies the first position in the second half of the sentence, the verb belt must come directly after it to follow the Dutch verb-second rule. This puts the subject u right after the verb.
Is it possible to drop the word dan from this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! If you remove dan, the entire first clause acts as the first element of the sentence. The main verb must still come next, so you would say: Als u een noodsituatie ziet, belt u onmiddellijk de politie. Using dan just adds a bit of emphasis, similar to saying 'If X, then Y' in English.
Why is the verb ziet at the very end of the first part of the sentence?
The word als (if) introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, subordinate clauses push their verbs to the very end. That is why ziet comes after the object een noodsituatie.
Is de politie considered singular or plural in Dutch?
In Dutch, de politie is a singular noun, whereas in English we usually treat 'the police' as a plural group. Although it is the object in this sentence, it is good to remember that as a subject it takes a singular verb, such as De politie is hier (The police are here).
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