Breakdown of Alleen wanneer het vliegtuig stilstaat, is de veiligheidsriem niet meer nodig.
zijn
to be
nodig
needed
het vliegtuig
the airplane
stilstaan
to stand still
niet meer
not anymore / no longer
alleen wanneer
only when
de veiligheidsriem
the seatbelt
Questions & Answers about Alleen wanneer het vliegtuig stilstaat, is de veiligheidsriem niet meer nodig.
Why does the main clause start with the verb is right after the comma?
The entire restrictive conditional clause Alleen wanneer het vliegtuig stilstaat acts as the first block of information in the sentence. Because Dutch follows the V2 rule (verb second), the main verb is must immediately follow this first block, pushing the subject de veiligheidsriem after the verb.
Could I use pas als instead of alleen wanneer here?
Yes, they are practically interchangeable in this context. Alleen wanneer (only when) is slightly more formal and emphasizes the strict condition. Pas als (only if / not until) places a bit more emphasis on the timeline, meaning you have to wait for the event to happen before taking off the seatbelt.
Why is the separable verb stilstaan written as one word (stilstaat) instead of being split?
In a normal main sentence, the verb splits: het vliegtuig staat stil. But because wanneer introduces a subordinate clause, the verb is sent to the very end. When a separable verb's prefix (stil) and conjugated verb (staat) end up next to each other at the end of a clause, they must be written together as a single word.
Why does the sentence use niet meer instead of just niet?
Using just niet would mean the seatbelt is simply 'not necessary' in general. Adding meer creates the phrase niet meer, which is the standard Dutch way to say 'no longer' or 'not anymore'. It shows that the seatbelt was required previously, but that condition has now ended.
Learn Alleen wanneer het vliegtuig stilstaat, is de veiligheidsriem niet meer nodig and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free