Breakdown of Als we vroeger kattenkwaad uithaalden, kregen we geen straf, tenzij de leraar het zag.
geen
no / not any
zien
to see
het
it
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Als we vroeger kattenkwaad uithaalden, kregen we geen straf, tenzij de leraar het zag.
Why do we use als here instead of toen, since the sentence is in the past tense?
While toen is used for specific, one-time events in the past (meaning "when"), we use als for repeated actions or habits in the past (meaning "whenever"). The word vroeger (back in the days) emphasizes that getting up to mischief was a regular habit, making als the correct choice.
How does the phrase kattenkwaad uithaalden work structurally?
Kattenkwaad translates to "mischief" (literally "cat's evil"). The verb used with it is uithalen (to get up to / to pull a prank). Because it is a separable verb inside a subordinate clause introduced by als, the prefix uit- and the conjugated verb -haalden are glued back together and placed at the very end of the clause.
Why does the second part say kregen we instead of we kregen?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire first clause (Als we vroeger kattenkwaad uithaalden) occupies the first position of the main sentence. The main verb (kregen) must take the second position immediately after it, which forces the subject (we) to flip to the other side of the verb.
Does tenzij affect the word order of the final clause?