Breakdown of Draag het reddingsvest, of de reddingsbrigade geeft je een boete.
een
a/an
dragen
to wear
geven
to give
of
or
Questions & Answers about Draag het reddingsvest, of de reddingsbrigade geeft je een boete.
How does the word of make this a conditional sentence?
In this structure, starting with an imperative command (Draag) and linking the next clause with of creates a conditional warning. It works exactly like "or" in English ("Do X, or Y will happen"). It means the same thing as an "if not" sentence: "If you don't wear the life jacket, they will fine you."
Why is there no inversion after of? Shouldn't it be of geeft de reddingsbrigade...?
The word of is a coordinating conjunction (just like en, maar, or want). These conjunctions simply link two independent sentences and do not affect the word order of the second sentence. Therefore, the second clause keeps the standard Subject-Verb order: de reddingsbrigade (subject) geeft (verb).
Could I use anders (otherwise) instead of of to express this threat?
Yes, you can! However, remember that anders is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction. If you use it to link the clauses, it counts as the first idea in the second clause, triggering inversion (Verb-Subject): Draag het reddingsvest, anders geeft de reddingsbrigade je een boete.
Why does the sentence use the unstressed pronoun je instead of jou for "you"?