Breakdown of We zitten in het park te picknicken, behalve als het regent.
wij
we
in
in
zitten
to sit
het
it
het park
the park
regenen
to rain
te
to (infinitive marker)
picknicken
to picnic
behalve als
except if / unless
Questions & Answers about We zitten in het park te picknicken, behalve als het regent.
Why does the verb regent come at the end of the sentence?
The phrase behalve als (except if / unless) works as a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb (regent) to the very end of that clause, right after the subject (het).
Can I use tenzij instead of behalve als to mean "unless"?
Yes, absolutely! tenzij is a very common synonym for behalve als. You can perfectly say ..., tenzij het regent. Just like behalve als, tenzij is a subordinating conjunction that pushes the verb to the end of the clause.
Why use zitten te picknicken instead of zijn aan het picknicken?
Both express that an action is currently ongoing. However, Dutch loves to use "posture verbs" (zitten, staan, liggen, lopen) + te + infinitive to describe how you are positioned while doing the action. Since people usually sit during a picnic, zitten te picknicken sounds much more natural and native than the generic zijn aan het construction.
Why is the location (in het park) placed before te picknicken?
In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb (zitten) takes the second position, but the rest of the verbal package (te picknicken) is pushed to the very end of the clause. This creates a "sandwich" (the verbal bracket). Any other details, like the location in het park, must be tucked inside this sandwich.
Learn We zitten in het park te picknicken, behalve als het regent 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