Als we niet oefenen, kunnen we falen.

If we don’t practice, we can fail.

Breakdown of Als we niet oefenen, kunnen we falen.

• niet: not
• oefenen: to practice
• kunnen: can
• we: we
• als: if
• falen: to fail

Questions & Answers about Als we niet oefenen, kunnen we falen.

What does als mean in this sentence, and how is it different from wanneer or indien?

Als is a conditional conjunction meaning if. It introduces a situation that must happen (or not happen) for the main clause to follow.

• wanneer normally means when (in time clauses or questions).
• indien also means if, but is more formal and typically found in legal or bureaucratic texts.

Why is oefenen at the end of the clause als we niet oefenen?

Because als is a subordinating conjunction. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the very end. So you get:
… als we niet oefenen.

Why does the main clause start with kunnen instead of we kunnen?

When a subordinate clause (introduced by als) comes first, the main clause undergoes inversion: the verb precedes the subject. Hence kunnen we instead of we kunnen.

What is the role of kunnen here—ability or possibility?

Here kunnen expresses possibility, similar to English may or might. It says “we might fail” if we don’t practice, not that we are able to fail.

Why is falen in its infinitive form, and why isn’t there a te before it?

Dutch modal verbs (kunnen, moeten, willen, etc.) are followed by a bare infinitive without te. So you say kunnen falen, never kunnen te falen.

How does negation work with niet oefenen? Why is niet placed there?

Niet negates the verb or phrase that follows it. In the subordinate clause it directly negates oefenen, so it sits immediately before the verb: niet oefenen (“not practice”). If you wanted to negate the main clause outcome, you’d place niet before kunnen falen or at the end.

Is the comma after the first clause mandatory?

When a subordinate clause comes first, using a comma before the main clause is standard practice for clarity. In casual writing you might sometimes skip it, but it’s recommended.

Can you reverse the order of the clauses? How would the sentence look then?

Yes. You can say:
We kunnen falen als we niet oefenen.
In that order no inversion is needed and the comma before als becomes optional.

Why is the pronoun we used instead of wij?

We is the unstressed (weak) form of wij and is more common in everyday speech. Wij is the stressed form, used for emphasis or in more formal contexts.

What kind of clause is als we niet oefenen?

It’s a conditional clause (een voorwaardelijke bijzin). It sets the condition under which the main clause (“kunnen we falen”) applies.