Breakdown of Als iedereen iets kleins meeneemt, vullen we de voorraadkast zonder moeite.
klein
small
wij
we
meenemen
to take along
als
if
iedereen
everyone
iets
something
zonder
without
vullen
to fill
de voorraadkast
the pantry
de moeite
the effort
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Questions & Answers about Als iedereen iets kleins meeneemt, vullen we de voorraadkast zonder moeite.
Why is the verb meeneemt at the end of the als-clause?
In Dutch, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like als (“if”) follow a verb-final word order. That means the finite verb (meeneemt) moves to the very end of that clause.
Why do we say vullen we instead of we vullen in the main clause?
Because when a subordinate clause (here the als-clause) comes first, the main clause undergoes inversion. The finite verb (vullen) takes the first position in the main clause, and the subject (we) follows.
Why is it iets kleins and not iets klein?
When an indefinite pronoun like iets (“something”) is modified by an adjective, the adjective takes the neuter ending -s. So klein becomes kleins, giving iets kleins.
What does zonder moeite mean?
Literally “without effort,” zonder moeite is used to say “without any trouble” or simply “easily.”
What exactly is a voorraadkast?
A voorraadkast is a storage cupboard or pantry where you keep non-perishable food, canned goods, or household supplies.
Why is voorraadkast written as one word?
Dutch prefers to form compound nouns by joining words together. You combine voorraad (“stock”) and kast (“cabinet”) into a single word: voorraadkast.
What’s the difference between meenemen and meebrengen?
Both verbs have the prefix mee- (“along”), but:
• meenemen = to take something along away from your current spot (“take with you”)
• meebrengen = to bring something along to a destination (“bring with you here”)
What is the function of als here? Could you use wanneer instead?
Here als means “if,” setting up a condition. Wanneer would mean “when” in a temporal sense (“at the time that”) and is not used for general conditional sentences like this.
Why is we used instead of wij for “we”?
Dutch has two subject forms: the unstressed we (very common in everyday speech) and the stressed wij (used for emphasis). In neutral, unstressed contexts you almost always use we.