In dat geval bel je de conciërge.

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Breakdown of In dat geval bel je de conciërge.

• in: in
• dat: that
• de conciërge: the caretaker

Questions & Answers about In dat geval bel je de conciërge.

Could you explain the components of in dat geval?

• in is a preposition meaning “in.”
• dat is a demonstrative pronoun used with het-words (neuter nouns) meaning “that.”
• geval is a neuter noun meaning “case” or “situation.”
  Put together, in dat geval translates as “in that case” or “in that situation.”

Why is it dat and not die or deze in in dat geval?

Dutch demonstratives agree with the gender of the noun:

• deze/ die go with de-words (common gender).
• dit/ dat go with het-words (neuter).
  Since geval is a neuter noun (het geval), you must use dat.

Why does the verb bel come before the subject pronoun je? Shouldn’t it be je belt?

Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. When an adverbial phrase (in dat geval) starts the sentence, the finite verb moves into the second position, pushing the subject after it.

• Correct inversion: In dat geval bel je de conciërge.
• Normal word order (subject first): Je belt de conciërge in dat geval.