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Breakdown of Zolang er stoelen beschikbaar zijn, mag je iemand meenemen.
zijn
to be
je
you
er
there
mogen
may
iemand
someone
meenemen
to bring along
de stoel
the seat
zolang
as long as
beschikbaar
available
Questions & Answers about Zolang er stoelen beschikbaar zijn, mag je iemand meenemen.
What does zolang mean in this sentence?
zolang is a conjunction meaning “as long as.” It introduces a time-condition: here, “As long as seats are available…”
Why is there an er before stoelen?
This er is an expletive or placeholder used in Dutch to introduce an existential statement (similar to English “there is/are”). You need it to say “there are seats…”
Why does the finite verb zijn appear at the end of the subordinate clause?
In Dutch, subordinate clauses place the finite verb at the very end. Since zolang er stoelen beschikbaar zijn is a subordinate clause, zijn comes last.
Why does the main clause start with mag je instead of je mag?
Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause, the following main clause triggers inversion: the finite verb (mag) comes before the subject (je). It’s the same inversion you get after adverbs or time phrases at the front.
How does the verb meenemen work? Is it separable?
Yes. meenemen is a separable verb: mee (along) + nemen (to take). In an infinitive clause like mag je iemand meenemen, it stays together at the end of its clause.
Why is beschikbaar placed after stoelen rather than before?
Here beschikbaar is used predicatively with zijn (“to be available”), so the structure is stoelen + beschikbaar + zijn. If you wanted an attributive adjective you could say beschikbare stoelen, but that slightly shifts the nuance to “available seats” as a noun phrase.
Could you replace je with jij, and would that change the meaning?
Yes, you could say mag jij iemand meenemen, but that adds emphasis on jij (“you, specifically”). In general instructions or conditions, Dutch prefers the unstressed form je.
Can I add nog in this sentence, like Zolang er nog stoelen beschikbaar zijn?
Absolutely. nog (“still”) stresses that seats remain available:
Zolang er nog stoelen beschikbaar zijn, mag je iemand meenemen.
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