Breakdown of We nemen een taxi naar het station omdat het regent.
wij
we
naar
to
het
it
nemen
to take
omdat
because
een
a, an
regenen
to rain
het station
the station
de taxi
the taxi
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about We nemen een taxi naar het station omdat het regent.
Why is the verb regent at the end of the clause omdat het regent?
In Dutch, clauses introduced by a subordinating conjunction (like omdat) use verb-final word order. That means:
- The conjunction (omdat) comes first
- The subject (het) follows
- The finite verb (regent) goes to the very end
Compare with a main clause:
We nemen een taxi.
(subject – verb – object)
What’s the difference between omdat and want?
Both can mean “because,” but their grammar differs:
- omdat is a subordinating conjunction
• Introduces a clause with V-final (verb at end) - want is a coordinating conjunction
• Keeps normal (V2) word order in both clauses
Example with want:
We nemen een taxi, want het regent.
Here het regent stays in S-V order.
Why is the simple present tense (we nemen) used to talk about taking a taxi now?
Dutch often uses the present tense for near-future or planned actions when context makes timing clear. You could also say:
- We zullen een taxi nemen. (future with zullen)
- We gaan een taxi nemen. (periphrastic future with gaan)
But the simple present (we nemen) is most common in everyday speech.
Why een taxi but het station?
- een taxi uses the indefinite article (a taxi): you’re not referring to a specific taxi already known.
- het station uses the definite article (the station) because you and your listener both know which station is meant.
Also, station is a neuter noun in Dutch, so its definite article is het (not de).
Can I say wij nemen instead of we nemen?
Yes.
- we is the unstressed, more colloquial form of “we.”
- wij is the full form, more stressed or formal.
They share the same verb form: we nemen or wij nemen.
How do you conjugate the verb nemen in the present tense?
nemen (to take) – present tense
- ik neem
- jij neemt / neemt jij?
- hij/zij/het neemt
- wij nemen
- jullie nemen
- zij nemen
Note that nemen is a strong (irregular) verb, but in the present tense only the 2nd/3rd singular adds -t.
Why do we say het regent to mean “it’s raining”?
Dutch uses het as a dummy subject for weather expressions (just like English uses “it”). The verb is simply regenen (“to rain”), conjugated for het: het regent.
Why is the preposition naar used in naar het station?
naar indicates movement toward a destination:
- naar huis (to home)
- naar school (to school)
- naar het station (to the station)
Why isn’t there a comma before omdat?
In Dutch, commas before subordinating conjunctions like omdat are generally omitted unless needed for clarity. The flow of the sentence is smooth enough here without a comma.