Questions & Answers about Wat doe je ermee als de klei niet soepel is?
Why does the sentence use ermee instead of something like "met het" for "with it"?
In Dutch, prepositions like met (with) don't combine directly with het (it). Instead, met changes to mee and combines with er to form the word ermee (literally "therewith").
Why is the verb is at the very end of the sentence?
The word als (if) is a subordinating conjunction. Just like the word zoals you are currently studying, it introduces a dependent clause and kicks the conjugated verb (is) to the very end of that clause.
Why is niet placed right before soepel?
Niet generally comes directly before the adjective it negates. Since the verb is has been pushed to the end by als, the adjective and its negation stay together in the middle: niet soepel is.
Could als also mean "when" in this sentence?
Yes! Dutch uses als for both "if" (a condition) and "when" (a time in the present or future). Translating this as "What do you do with it when the clay is not supple?" is also perfectly valid.