Zij zet de boodschappen in de keuken zodra zij thuiskomt.

She puts the groceries in the kitchen as soon as she gets home.

Breakdown of Zij zet de boodschappen in de keuken zodra zij thuiskomt.

• zij: she
• in: in
• de keuken: the kitchen
• zodra: as soon as
• thuiskomen: to come home
• zetten: to put
• de boodschappen: the groceries

Questions & Answers about Zij zet de boodschappen in de keuken zodra zij thuiskomt.

Why does the sentence use zij twice, and can I replace one or both with ze?

In Dutch you need a subject pronoun in each independent or subordinate clause. The first zij is the subject of the main clause (Zij zet…), and the second zij is the subject of the subordinate clause (…zodra zij thuiskomt). You can replace zij with the clitic form ze in everyday speech, especially in the main clause:

• Ze zet de boodschappen…
  But in writing or for emphasis you might keep zij. In subordinate clauses speakers sometimes prefer zij to avoid ambiguity (ze kan verwijzen naar meerdere personen).

Why is the verb zet used here instead of another verb like leggen or plaatsen?

Dutch distinguishes between placing something upright or setting it down (zetten) versus laying something flat (leggen) or more generally positioning (plaatsen).

• zij zet de boodschappen in de keuken implies she “sets” or puts the bags down, perhaps on a counter.
• If she laid out groceries flat (e.g. papers) you’d say leggen.
• plaatsen is more neutral/formal (“to place”) and can be used, but zetten is most idiomatic with shopping bags.

Why is the verb in the subordinate clause at the very end: zodra zij thuiskomt?

In Dutch subordinate (dependent) clauses the finite verb typically goes to the end. zodra introduces a time‐clause, so its structure is:

1. conjunction (zodra)
2. subject (zij)
3. all other elements (none here)
4. finite verb (thuiskomt)
   That’s why thuiskomt comes last.

What’s the difference between zodra and als when translating “when” or “as soon as”?

• zodra means “as soon as,” emphasizing immediacy:
  “Zij zet de boodschappen in de keuken zodra zij thuiskomt.”
• als is more general “if/when” and can denote any time in the past or future, not necessarily immediate:
  “Als zij thuiskomt, belt ze me.” (When she comes home, she calls me.)
  So use zodra for “as soon as” and als for “when/if.”

Do I need a comma before zodra zij thuiskomt when it follows the main clause?

In Dutch, if the subordinate clause comes after the main clause, the comma is optional and often omitted in informal writing. In more formal or complex sentences you can insert a comma for clarity:

• Zij zet de boodschappen in de keuken, zodra zij thuiskomt.
  But it’s perfectly correct without one.

Can I move the subordinate clause to the beginning? What changes in word order then?

Yes. When a subordinate clause starts the sentence, you must invert subject and verb in the main clause. For example:

• Zodra zij thuiskomt, zet zij de boodschappen in de keuken.
  Notice after the comma you have zet zij (verb–subject) instead of zij zet.

Is thuiskomt a separable verb? Why doesn’t it split into komt…thuis?

thuiskomen (‘to come home’) is not a standard separable verb in Dutch; it’s treated as one unit and written together. In contrast, true separable verbs like opkomen (to rise up) split:

• Hij komt op.
  But thuiskomen remains hij komt thuis in sense, yet in infinitive and conjugation contexts you write/think of it as one word.

Why “in de keuken” instead of “naar de keuken”? What’s the nuance?

• in de keuken describes location: the groceries end up inside the kitchen.
• naar de keuken describes movement toward: “to the kitchen.”
  In the main clause we focus on where she puts the groceries, so in is correct. If you wanted to stress the motion:
• Zij loopt naar de keuken met de boodschappen. (She walks to the kitchen with the groceries.)