Learn Hardcore Dutch: De kapotte lamp kan omvallen tijdens de storm. - The broken lamp can topple over during the storm.

In Dutch, adjectives preceding a noun take an -e ending when the noun is accompanied by a definite article (de or het) or a demonstrative (e.g. deze, die). The base adjective is kapot (‘broken’), but with de you say de kapotte lamp. If you had an indefinite article with a neuter noun (a het-word), you’d say een kapot huis (no -e).

What kind of verb is omvallen, and how do I use it?

Omvallen is a separable verb: om (prefix) + vallen (‘to fall’). Together they mean ‘to topple over’. In main clauses you split it when conjugating:
• Ik val om. (I topple over.)
• De lamp kan omvallen. (The lamp can topple over.)
With a modal like kan, you keep omvallen intact at the end.

Why does the sentence use kan omvallen and not omvallen kan?

Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here kan) must be the second constituent in the sentence. All non-finite verbs (infinitives, participles) go to the end. So after the subject de kapotte lamp, you place kan, and omvallen goes to the very end.

What does tijdens mean, and are there alternatives?

Tijdens means ‘during’. It governs a noun phrase (tijdens + de/een + noun). Alternatives:

bij storm – idiomatic for ‘in stormy weather’ (“Bij storm kan de lamp omvallen.”)
in de storm – literally ‘in the storm’, less common but possible.
gedurende de storm – more formal register.

What nuance does kan add, and could I use zullen instead?

Kan expresses possibility (‘might, can’). Zullen expresses future or stronger prediction (‘will, shall’).

De kapotte lamp kan omvallen… → The broken lamp may topple over…
De kapotte lamp zal omvallen… → The broken lamp will topple over… (more certain or future-focused)

How would I say this in the plural?

Make the noun plural and adjust the verb:
De kapotte lampen kunnen omvallen tijdens de storm.
Or if you speak generally:
Kapotte lampen kunnen omvallen tijdens een storm.

Why is there a double t in kapotte?

Dutch spelling rules require a doubled consonant after a short, stressed vowel to keep that vowel short. In kapotte, the o is short, so you write tt. If the vowel were long, you’d use a single consonant.

How do I make this a subordinate clause, for example “I think that the broken lamp can fall over during the storm”?

Introduce a conjunction like dat and move the finite verb to the end (verb-final):
Ik denk dat de kapotte lamp tijdens de storm kan omvallen.
In subordinate clauses, all verbs cluster at the end, with the finite modal before the infinitive.

Why is it de storm and not een storm in tijdens de storm?

Using de storm refers to a specific storm the speaker and listener both know about. If you speak of any storm in general, use een:
Tijdens een storm kan een kapotte lamp omvallen.