Je mag hier blijven, zolang je stil blijft tijdens de presentatie.

Je mag hier blijven, zolang je stil blijft tijdens de presentatie.
You may stay here, as long as you remain quiet during the presentation.
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Questions & Answers about Je mag hier blijven, zolang je stil blijft tijdens de presentatie.

What does mag mean in this sentence, and why isn’t kan used instead?
  • mag expresses permission (“may,” “be allowed to”).
  • kan expresses ability (“can,” “be able to”), so it wouldn’t fit here: you’re not talking about the ability to stay, but the permission to do so.
Why does blijven appear twice (once as hier blijven and once as stil blijft)?
  • The first blijven (after mag) means “to stay” in place: Je mag hier blijven = “You may stay here.”
  • The second blijven (in the subordinate clause) means “to remain” in a certain state: stil blijft = “remain quiet.”
What role does zolang play, and how does it affect word order?
  • zolang means “as long as” or “provided that.”
  • It is a subordinating conjunction, so the finite verb of that clause (blijft) moves to the very end: zolang je stil blijft tijdens de presentatie.
Why is there a comma before zolang?
In Dutch, a comma typically separates a main clause from a following subordinate clause. Here, Je mag hier blijven is the main clause, and zolang… starts the subordinate clause.
What’s the difference between tijdens de presentatie and terwijl de presentatie bezig is?
  • tijdens
    • noun: “during” + noun phrase → tijdens de presentatie = “during the presentation.”
  • terwijl
    • clause: “while” + full clause → terwijl de presentatie bezig is = “while the presentation is taking place.” Both are correct, but one uses a noun phrase and the other a subordinate clause.
Why is stil placed before blijft rather than after?
  • stil is an adverb here (“quietly”). In Dutch, adverbs that modify the verb often precede it when the verb is final in a subordinate clause: stil blijft.
  • You could also say blijft stil, but in subordinate clauses the verb must come last, so adverb placement can vary.
Could you drop hier and just say Je mag blijven, zolang je stil blijft…?
Yes, you can omit hier if the location is clear from context. Without hier, it simply means “You may stay (in the implied place) as long as you remain quiet during the presentation.”