Als het internet uitvalt, kunnen we niet online leren.

If the internet goes out, we cannot learn online.

Breakdown of Als het internet uitvalt, kunnen we niet online leren.

• niet: not
• wij: we
• leren: to learn
• kunnen: can
• als: if
• online: online
• het internet: the internet
• uitvallen: to go out

Questions & Answers about Als het internet uitvalt, kunnen we niet online leren.

Why is the verb placed at the end in Als het internet uitvalt?

Because als introduces a subordinate clause in Dutch, and subordinate clauses are verb‐final. That means the finite verb and its separable prefix (in this case uitvallen) go to the very end: uitvalt. In a main clause you’d split the verb: “Het internet valt uit.”

Why does the main clause start with kunnen instead of “we kunnen”?

Dutch has a verb‐second (V2) rule for main clauses. When you begin with a subordinate clause (“Als het internet uitvalt,”) that whole clause counts as the first element. The finite verb of the main clause then must be in second position, which puts kunnen before the subject we:

1. [subordinate clause],
2. kunnen (verb),
3. we (subject), …

Why is there a comma after uitvalt, and is it mandatory?

Standard Dutch recommends a comma after a fronted subordinate clause to improve readability. So you write:
Als het internet uitvalt, kunnen we niet online leren.
It’s not absolutely mandatory in every informal text, but in formal writing you should keep it.

Why is internet a het-word and not de internet?

In Dutch, internet is considered a neuter (het-) noun. Many English loanwords end up as het-woorden. There’s no simple rule—you just learn that het internet is correct.

Why is the separable prefix uit attached in uitvalt instead of split apart?

In subordinate clauses (and with auxiliaries or modals), a separable verb stays together as one word. Only in main clauses without preceding prefixes do you split it:

• Main clause: “Het internet valt uit.”
• Subordinate clause: “… als het internet uitvalt.”

What part of speech is online here, and why does it come before leren? Could I say op internet leren?

• Online is an adverb describing hoe (how) we learn.
• Adverbs in Dutch usually precede the verb or verb cluster: online leren.
• You can say op internet leren, but that literally means “learn on the internet.” Online leren is more idiomatic for “learn via the internet.”

Why is niet placed between we and online leren? Could I move it?

In Dutch the negation niet generally comes just before the part of the sentence you want to negate. Here we negate the entire action “learn online,” so niet precedes online leren:
kunnen we niet online leren
If you put niet elsewhere, you change the focus or make it sound odd.

Can I use wanneer instead of als in this sentence?

You could say Wanneer het internet uitvalt, but:

• wanneer is a time‐clause conjunction (“when” something happens).
• als is used for conditions or repeated/hypothetical events (“if”).
  Since we talk about a condition, als is the more natural choice.