Learn Hardcore Dutch: Verlaat deze kamer niet voordat je een plan hebt gemaakt voor meer besparing. - Do not leave this room before you have made a plan for more saving.

Verlaat is the imperative form of the verb verlaten, which means “to leave.” In this sentence, it is instructing someone (using the informal je) to leave the room.

Why is niet positioned after deze kamer and not placed elsewhere in the sentence?

In Dutch imperative sentences, when you have an object like deze kamer, the negative particle niet is typically placed after the object. This positioning effectively negates the command as a whole, so the sentence tells the listener not to leave the room.

What is the role of the subordinating conjunction voordat, and how does it affect the word order in its clause?

Voordat means “before” and it introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, when a clause is introduced by a subordinating conjunction like voordat, the finite verb (in this case hebt gemaakt) is moved to the end of that clause. This is why the clause reads voordat je een plan hebt gemaakt voor meer besparing.

Why is the perfect tense hebt gemaakt used in the subordinate clause instead of a simple present or past tense?

The perfect tense hebt gemaakt emphasizes that the action of making a plan must be fully completed before the main action (leaving the room) is carried out. It underlines that the listener should have already finalized the plan related to further savings before leaving.

What does the phrase voor meer besparing mean, and is there an alternative way to express the same idea?

Voor meer besparing translates roughly to “for more savings” or “to achieve more savings.” It indicates that the plan the listener needs to make should be directed towards saving more resources or money. An alternative construction could be om meer te besparen, which also expresses the purpose of saving more.