Learn Hardcore Dutch: Als het morgen zonnig zou zijn, zouden we de kamerplant buiten kunnen zetten. - If it were sunny tomorrow, we could put the houseplant outside.

We use zouden to form the Dutch conditional mood. In the subordinate clause Als het morgen zonnig zou zijn, zou expresses a hypothetical “were to be.” In the main clause zouden we de kamerplant buiten kunnen zetten, zouden agrees with the plural subject we to express what we “would” be able to do. The conditional mood is formed with zouden (singular zou, plural zouden) + infinitive.

Why does zou zijn come at the end of the subordinate clause?

In Dutch subordinate clauses (introduced by conjunctions like als), all finite verbs go to the end. That’s why zou (the auxiliary) and zijn (the main verb) appear at the end:
“Als het morgen zonnig zou zijn.”

Why are there two different forms—zou in the first clause and zouden in the second?

The form of zou agrees with its subject. In “Als het morgen zonnig zou zijn,” the subject is het (singular), so we use zou. In “zouden we … kunnen zetten,” the subject is we (plural), so we use zouden.

Why is kunnen zetten used instead of just zetten?

Kunnen is a modal verb that adds the meaning “to be able to” or “to have the possibility.” If you used zetten alone, you would simply say “to put.” By adding kunnen, you say “to be able to put,” i.e. “we could put.”

Why is buiten placed before kunnen zetten rather than after?

Dutch main clauses with multiple verbs form a verb cluster at the end. Other elements like objects and adverbials appear before that cluster. So the order here is:

Subject: we
Auxiliary: zouden
Object: de kamerplant
Adverbial: buiten
Verb cluster: kunnen zetten

Why do we start the sentence with Als and not Wanneer?

Als introduces a conditional “if” clause (hypothetical situation). Wanneer is used for temporal “when” clauses (stating a time). Because we’re speculating about a possible future scenario, als is the correct choice.

What’s the difference between Als het morgen zonnig zou zijn and Als het morgen zonnig is?

Using zou zijn puts the clause in the conditional mood, making the situation purely hypothetical or less certain (“if it were sunny”). Using the present tense is treats the condition as a more likely or neutral future event (“if it is sunny”).

How do you generally form conditional sentences in Dutch like this one?

The typical pattern is:
• Als + subject + zou(/den) + infinitive (subordinate clause, verb-final)
• main clause: subject + zou(/den) + rest of sentence + infinitive(s) (verb cluster)
This parallels English “if … would …,” but remember Dutch puts verbs at the end in subordinate clauses and clusters them in main clauses.

Why is de used with kamerplant instead of het?

Dutch nouns are divided into common gender (use de) and neuter gender (use het). Kamerplant is a common gender noun, so it takes de.

Why is kamerplant written as one word rather than two?

Dutch typically forms compound nouns by combining words into a single word. Kamer (room) + plant (plant) becomes kamerplant (houseplant).