Breakdown of De conciërge is erg behulpzaam als wij de sleutel vergeten.
zijn
to be
wij
we
vergeten
to forget
de sleutel
the key
erg
very
als
when
de conciërge
the caretaker
behulpzaam
helpful
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Questions & Answers about De conciërge is erg behulpzaam als wij de sleutel vergeten.
What does conciërge mean?
Conciërge is a loanword from French that means caretaker, janitor, or concierge – the person in charge of the maintenance, security or reception duties in a building.
Why is it de conciërge, not het conciërge?
In Dutch every noun belongs to either the de‑ or het‑class. Conciërge is a common‑gender noun and thus takes de. There is no fully reliable rule, so learners often have to memorize which noun takes which article.
Why is it de sleutel, not het sleutel?
Sleutel (key) is also a common‑gender noun in Dutch, so it takes de. Most nouns for tools, objects or persons tend to be common gender, but you’ll need to learn each noun’s article by practice or dictionary lookup.
What’s the difference between erg behulpzaam and heel behulpzaam?
Both erg and heel can mean very. In many cases they’re interchangeable: erg behulpzaam = heel behulpzaam (very helpful). Some subtle preferences exist (e.g. speakers sometimes pair erg with emotional adjectives), but you can safely use either here.
Why is als used here to mean “when,” rather than wanneer?
Dutch has two common words for when:
- als for conditional or repeated situations («whenever»)
- wanneer often for one‑time events or in questions
Here the idea is “Whenever we forget the key…”, so als is the natural choice.
Why does the verb vergeten come at the end in als wij de sleutel vergeten?
Any clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction (like als, omdat, dat) pushes the finite verb to the end. In als wij de sleutel vergeten, vergeten (the finite verb form for wij) must go to the clause’s final position.
Can we drop wij in als wij de sleutel vergeten?
Yes. Dutch often omits subject pronouns when context makes them clear. Als we de sleutel vergeten is more conversational and just as correct.
Why not say De conciërge helpt ons altijd als we de sleutel vergeten?
You can! That’s a more active phrasing: helpt ons (helps us) instead of a predicate adjective (is behulpzaam). Both sentences convey the same idea; the original just describes his general helpfulness rather than naming the direct action.
Can I start with the als‑clause instead of ending with it?
Absolutely. You could say:
Als we de sleutel vergeten, is de conciërge erg behulpzaam.
When a subordinate clause comes first, you still keep the verb–second rule in the main clause, so is immediately follows the comma.