Breakdown of Pas toen we het vliegtuig hadden zien opstijgen, gingen we naar huis.
het huis
the house
hebben
to have
zien
to see
naar
to
Questions & Answers about Pas toen we het vliegtuig hadden zien opstijgen, gingen we naar huis.
Why does the main clause start with the verb gingen?
The entire restrictive clause Pas toen we het vliegtuig hadden zien opstijgen counts as the first block of information in the sentence. Because Dutch strictly follows the verb-second rule in main clauses, the conjugated verb gingen must immediately follow this fronted clause, resulting in inversion (gingen we instead of we gingen).
Since the lesson also covers pas als, could I use it here instead of pas toen?
No, because this sentence describes a single, specific event in the past. In Dutch, you must use toen for a one-time past event. You would use pas als for a condition in the present or future, or for a repeated condition in the past (meaning only whenever).
Why is the verb zien used instead of the past participle gezien?
This sentence uses the infinitive instead of participle rule. When a perception verb like zien is combined with another verb like opstijgen in a perfect tense alongside a helper verb like hadden, it changes from a past participle into an infinitive. That is why it is hadden zien opstijgen rather than hadden gezien opstijgen.
What dictates the order of the three verbs hadden zien opstijgen at the end of the first clause?