Breakdown of Als de noodsituatie begint, dan blijven wij kalm.
wij
we
beginnen
to begin
blijven
to stay
dan
then
Questions & Answers about Als de noodsituatie begint, dan blijven wij kalm.
Why do we use dan here after the comma?
dan acts as a resumptive adverb. Because the sentence starts with an if-clause (als de noodsituatie begint), dan summarizes that whole first part before the main clause begins. It highlights the consequence, functioning exactly like "then" in the English structure "If X, then Y".
Could I write this sentence without using dan?
Yes, dan is optional here. You could say Als de noodsituatie begint, blijven wij kalm. If you drop dan, the entire als clause counts as the first block of information, so the main verb blijven still comes immediately after the comma.
Why is the word order blijven wij instead of wij blijven?
Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second rule. Here, the resumptive adverb dan occupies the first position of the main clause. Therefore, the verb blijven must take the second position, pushing the subject wij right behind it.
What makes up the word noodsituatie?
It is a compound of nood (need, distress, or emergency) and situatie (situation). You will frequently see nood at the start of emergency-related words, such as nooduitgang (emergency exit) and noodweer (severe weather).