Learn Hardcore Dutch: Als de bijlage te groot is, comprimeer ik hem eerst. - If the attachment is too large, I compress it first.

In Dutch subordinate clauses introduced by words like als, the finite verb moves to the end. That’s why is appears after groot rather than in second position.

Why is there no dan after als?

Although Dutch sometimes pairs als … dan (as … then), the dan is optional. When the meaning is clear, you can simply say als de bijlage te groot is without adding dan.

Why does the main clause start with comprimeer instead of ik comprimeer?

Because a subordinate clause (Als …) opens the sentence, the main clause obeys the V2-rule: the finite verb must come first in the main clause, followed by the subject. Hence comprimeer ik rather than ik comprimeer.

Why is the pronoun hem used instead of het?

Dutch personal pronouns for de-words (common gender) use hem. Since bijlage is a de-word, you refer to it as hem, not het.

Why does eerst come after hem (object + adverb), and could I move it elsewhere?

Personal pronouns generally precede adverbs, so hem eerst is the natural order. You can place eerst at the very beginning for emphasis (Eerst comprimeer ik hem), but in this conditional structure it follows the object.

Could you use wanneer instead of als here?

Wanneer often means “when” in a temporal sense. For conditionals (“if”), Dutch speakers prefer als. Using wanneer would sound more like you’re asking “at the moment when” rather than “if”.

How do you conjugate comprimeren in other persons?

Comprimeren is a regular weak verb. Present-tense forms:

ik comprimeer
jij comprimeert
hij/zij comprimeert
wij/comprimeren
jullie comprimeren
zij comprimeren
Notice the -t ending with jij and hij/zij.