Word
Zodra u rook ruikt, dan rekenen we erop dat u onmiddellijk evacueert.
Meaning
As soon as you smell smoke, then we count on you evacuating immediately.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Zodra u rook ruikt, dan rekenen we erop dat u onmiddellijk evacueert.
u
you (formal)
dan
then
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
dat
that (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Zodra u rook ruikt, dan rekenen we erop dat u onmiddellijk evacueert.
Why is dan used before rekenen we, and how does it affect the word order?
The word dan is acting as a resumptive adverb. It 'resumes' or sums up the condition you just stated in the first clause (Zodra u rook ruikt). Because dan occupies the first position in the main clause, it takes up the first slot and triggers inversion: dan rekenen we instead of dan we rekenen.
Could I leave dan out of this sentence?
Yes, you can drop it. If you leave it out, the entire first clause acts as position one, so you still need inversion in the main clause: Zodra u rook ruikt, rekenen we erop... Adding dan just emphasizes the cause-and-effect relationship, which is common in spoken Dutch.
Why do we use erop here instead of just the preposition op?
The verb is rekenen op (to count on). When a preposition links to a following dat-clause, Dutch doesn't let you use the preposition alone. Instead, it turns into a pronominal adverb (er + op = erop) to act as a placeholder that points forward to the dat-clause.
The English translation says 'you evacuating'. Why does Dutch use a whole new clause (dat u evacueert)?