Word
Het is gevaarlijk, indien u de dosis overschrijdt.
Meaning
It is dangerous, in the event that you exceed the dose.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Het is gevaarlijk, indien u de dosis overschrijdt.
zijn
to be
u
you (formal)
het
it
gevaarlijk
dangerous
Questions & Answers about Het is gevaarlijk, indien u de dosis overschrijdt.
Why is indien used here instead of als?
Both mean "if", but indien is much more formal. You will often see it in written instructions, official warnings, or medical leaflets (like this sentence about exceeding a dose). In everyday speech, people would usually just say als u de dosis overschrijdt.
Why is the verb overschrijdt at the very end of the sentence?
Because indien is a subordinating conjunction, which introduces a dependent clause. In Dutch dependent clauses, the conjugated verb is pushed to the end. So instead of u overschrijdt de dosis, the word order becomes indien u de dosis overschrijdt.
Is overschrijden a separable verb? Why isn't it written as schrijdt over?
No, overschrijden (to exceed) is an inseparable verb here. This means the prefix over- stays attached to the verb in all forms. You can tell when speaking because the stress falls on the second part of the word (over-schrij-den). Therefore, it stays together as overschrijdt at the end of the clause.
Is it a coincidence that the formal pronoun u is used in the same sentence as indien?