Questions & Answers about Wat zou jouw droom zijn, als jij één wens had?
Why do we use had (past tense) when asking about a wish right now?
This is a hypothetical scenario. Just like in English, Dutch uses the simple past tense after als (if) to talk about an imaginary or unlikely present situation. Here, als jij één wens had means 'if you had one wish' (even though you do not actually have one right now).
Why is the verb zijn at the end of the first clause, and had at the end of the second?
The first part is a main clause question: the conjugated verb zou directly follows the question word Wat, and the infinitive zijn gets pushed to the end of that clause. The second part is a subclause introduced by als (if). Subordinating conjunctions like als kick all verbs to the very end of their clause, which is why had is placed last.
Why are there accent marks on één?
The accents indicate that it means the number 'one', not the indefinite article 'a' or 'an' (which is spelled een without accents). It emphasizes that you are granted exactly one single wish.
Could I just use je instead of jouw and jij here?
Yes, grammatically you could say Wat zou je droom zijn, als je één wens had? However, using the emphatic forms jouw (your) and jij (you) makes the question much more personal. The speaker is putting the spotlight specifically on you and your dream, rather than making a casual remark.