Breakdown of Wanneer de film begint, doe ik mijn telefoon uit.
ik
I
mijn
my
wanneer
when
de film
the movie
de telefoon
the phone
beginnen
to start
uitdoen
to turn off
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Questions & Answers about Wanneer de film begint, doe ik mijn telefoon uit.
Why is wanneer at the beginning of the sentence?
Because wanneer is a subordinating conjunction meaning “when.” In Dutch, subordinating conjunctions introduce a subordinate clause, and when that clause comes first, the conjunction naturally occupies the first position.
Why is the verb begint at the end of the clause wanneer de film begint?
In a subordinate clause the conjugated verb moves to the final position. Since wanneer creates a dependent clause, begint must appear at the end.
Why is there a comma after wanneer de film begint?
Dutch grammar requires a comma to separate a preceding subordinate clause from the main clause. It signals the end of the dependent information before you continue with the main action.
Why does the main clause start with doe instead of ik?
Dutch is a verb-second language in the main clause. After a fronted element (the subordinate clause), the finite verb (doe) must come immediately, and the subject (ik) follows it.
What is the infinitive form of the verb in doe ik mijn telefoon uit, and why is uit at the end?
The full verb is uitdoen (“to switch off”), which is a separable verb. In main clauses, the prefix uit detaches and goes to the end of the clause, while doe (the stem) stays in second position.
Why is the possessive pronoun mijn used before telefoon instead of an article?
Mijn means “my,” indicating you’re talking about your specific phone. If you used de telefoon, it would sound more generic or refer to any phone in a general sense.
Why are both clauses in the present tense, and could you use the future tense here?
Dutch often uses the present tense for scheduled or certain future events—“When the film begins, I switch off my phone.” You can form a future tense (“wanneer de film begint, zal ik mijn telefoon uitdoen”), but it’s not necessary and sounds more formal.
Could you use als instead of wanneer, and what difference would that make?
Yes. Als can also mean “when” in time clauses. Here als de film begint is perfectly acceptable and is often used in casual speech. Wanneer is a bit more formal or explicit. The meaning stays the same.
Is this sentence describing a habitual action or a one‐time event?
By itself it’s ambiguous: it can mean “every time the film starts” (habit) or “when the film starts (later today), I will switch off my phone” (one‐off). Context or added adverbs (e.g., altijd, “always”) clarify if it’s habitual.
How do you recognize that wanneer de film begint is a subordinate clause and not a main clause?
You see three markers:
- It starts with a subordinating conjunction (wanneer).
- The conjugated verb (begint) is at the end.
- It’s followed by a comma before the main clause. All three together signal a subordinate clause.