Breakdown of Pas als het vertrek bekend is, gaan wij naar de gate.
pas als
only if
de gate
the gate
het vertrek
the departure
Questions & Answers about Pas als het vertrek bekend is, gaan wij naar de gate.
Why do we use pas als instead of alleen als or alleen wanneer here?
Alleen als and alleen wanneer express a strict, logical condition ("solely in the event that"). Pas als, on the other hand, means "only when" with a strong implication of time or delay ("not until the moment that"). Since waiting for a flight announcement involves time passing, pas als is the most natural choice here.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb gaan instead of wij gaan?
This is the verb-second (V2) rule. Because you placed the entire restrictive condition (Pas als het vertrek bekend is) at the front of the sentence, it counts as the first "block" of information. The main verb (gaan) must take the second position, so it jumps in front of the subject (wij). This swapping is called inversion.
Why is the verb is at the end of the first clause?
The first part of the sentence is a subordinate clause introduced by als. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the verb is always pushed to the end. It sits just before the comma that separates it from the main clause.
Is het vertrek related to the verb vertrekken?
Yes! Vertrekken is the verb for "to leave" or "to depart". The noun form is het vertrek, which means "the departure".
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