Breakdown of Mijn bureau is rommelig, waardoor ik mijn pen niet kan vinden.
ik
I
zijn
to be
niet
not
mijn
my
kunnen
can
vinden
to find
waardoor
which is why
het bureau
the desk
rommelig
messy
de pen
the pen
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Questions & Answers about Mijn bureau is rommelig, waardoor ik mijn pen niet kan vinden.
What does rommelig mean in English, and is there a one-word equivalent?
rommelig means messy, cluttered, or untidy. It describes something that’s in disorder or not neatly arranged.
How do you pronounce rommelig?
You pronounce it as [ˈrɔ.mə.lɪɣ], with the stress on the first syllable: ROM-muh-lich. The Dutch g is a guttural sound, similar to the ch in Scottish “loch.”
What is waardoor, and how would I translate it here?
waardoor is a compound of waar (“where/which”) + door (“through/by”). It functions as a conjunction meaning “as a result of which,” “whereby,” or simply “so.” In your sentence, “waardoor ik mijn pen niet kan vinden” translates to “as a result of which I can’t find my pen.”
What part of speech is waardoor, and how does it affect word order?
waardoor is a relative adverb (in Dutch grammar called a relatief bijwoord). It introduces a subordinate clause (bijzin). In Dutch subordinate clauses the finite verb moves to the end, so you get “ik mijn pen niet kan vinden” rather than a main-clause order.
Why is the verb kan placed before vinden at the end of the subordinate clause?
Because kan is a modal verb, and in Dutch subordinate clauses the conjugated verb (here kan) and then any infinitive (here vinden) come after all other elements, at the very end of the clause.
Why is there a comma before waardoor, and is it mandatory?
The comma marks the boundary between the main clause (“Mijn bureau is rommelig”) and the subordinate clause (“waardoor…”). In Dutch punctuation it’s strongly recommended for clarity, though in informal writing you might sometimes see it omitted.
Can I use doordat or zodat instead of waardoor, and what’s the difference?
- doordat = because / due to the fact that (introduces a cause clause)
Bijvoorbeeld: Doordat mijn bureau rommelig is, kan ik mijn pen niet vinden. - zodat = so that (shows a result or purpose)
Bijvoorbeeld: Mijn bureau is rommelig, zodat ik mijn pen niet kan vinden. - waardoor = as a result of which (links effect to the preceding clause).
Nuances are small, but doordat focuses on the cause, waardoor on the factual result, and zodat can also imply intention or purpose.
Could I say waardoor dat ik mijn pen niet kan vinden? Or combine dat and waardoor?
No. You do not combine waardoor with dat. Both introduce subordinate clauses, so you use one or the other, never both together.
How would I rephrase the sentence if I wanted the subordinate clause first?
If you front a cause clause, you normally use doordat and then invert:
Doordat mijn bureau rommelig is, kan ik mijn pen niet vinden.
You could technically say
Waardoor ik mijn pen niet kan vinden, is dat mijn bureau rommelig is,
but that is grammatically correct yet very unusual in Dutch style.