Learn Hardcore Dutch: Als ik moe word, druk ik op de pauzeknop van de video en loop ik even weg. - When I get tired, I press the pause button of the video and walk away for a moment.

ik ben moe = I am tired (state, how you feel now)
ik word moe = I get / am becoming tired (change, you were not tired, but you are getting there)

In the sentence, the idea is “when I get tired”, not “when I am tired already”. That’s why Dutch uses worden (to become), not zijn (to be).

Why is it "word" and not "wordt"?

This is just the regular conjugation of worden in the present tense:

ik word
jij / je wordt
hij / zij / het wordt
wij / jullie / zij worden

So with ik, there is no -t at the end: ik word.
Many learners mistakenly add a t after ik, but that’s wrong in standard Dutch.

Why does the verb go to the end in "Als ik moe word"?

Als introduces a subordinate clause (a dependent clause). In Dutch, in subordinate clauses, the finite verb normally goes to the end of the clause:

main clause: Ik word moe. → verb in second position
sub clause: Als ik moe word → verb (word) at the end

So the structure is:

Als (subordinating conjunction)
ik (subject)
moe (predicate adjective)
word (finite verb at the end)

Why is it present tense (word, druk, loop) if it talks about a repeated/habitual action?

Dutch often uses the simple present to talk about:

habits or routines
things that are generally true

So:
Als ik moe word, druk ik op de pauzeknop … en loop ik even weg.
= “When I get tired, I (usually) press the pause button and walk away for a bit.”

You do not need a special tense like English “I will press” or “I would press”. The simple present is normal here.

What exactly does "als" mean here? Is it when or if?

Als can mean both “when” and “if”, depending on context.

Often als = when in the sense of “whenever this situation occurs”
It can also be conditional like if

Here it’s essentially “when(ever) I get tired” (each time that situation happens).
You could also loosely read it as “if I get tired”, but the sense is more repeated situation than a hypothetical one.

Note: wanneer can also mean when, but als is more common in everyday speech for this kind of habitual condition.

Why is there a comma after "Als ik moe word"?

Because "Als ik moe word" is a subordinate clause. In standard Dutch punctuation, a subordinate clause that comes before the main clause is usually followed by a comma:

Als ik moe word, druk ik op de pauzeknop …

If the subordinate clause comes after the main clause, there may or may not be a comma, depending on length and style:

Ik druk op de pauzeknop als ik moe word. (comma usually omitted here)

Why is the word order "druk ik" and "loop ik", with the verb first and then ik?

In Dutch main clauses, the finite verb is normally in second position (the V2 rule).

After a clause-initial element (like Als ik moe word,), the whole rest of the sentence counts as the “second position”. So:

Als ik moe word, → first position (subordinate clause as a whole)
druk → second position (the main clause verb)
ik → follows the verb

So the structure is:

[Als ik moe word], druk ik op de pauzeknop van de video en loop ik even weg.
- first finite verb in main clause: druk
- in the second coordinated part: loop is also in second position (en loop ik)

This is why it’s druk ik and loop ik, not ik druk / ik loop in this specific sentence order.

Could I also say "… en ik loop even weg" instead of "… en loop ik even weg"?

Yes, both are possible and correct:

… druk ik op de pauzeknop van de video en loop ik even weg.
… druk ik op de pauzeknop van de video en ik loop even weg.

The version in the sentence follows the V2 rule for the second clause as well: after en, the finite verb (loop) comes first (second position in that clause), then ik.

In everyday speech, people also very often say “… en ik loop even weg”, where ik comes right after en. Stylistically both are fine; the original is a bit more “tightly” structured.

Is "drukken op" a separable verb like "opdrukken"?

No. Here the verb is drukken and op is a preposition, not a separable prefix:

drukken op iets = to press on something

So the pattern is:

drukken op de pauzeknop = to press the pause button
Ik druk op de pauzeknop.

A separable verb like opdrukken exists but has a different meaning (e.g. to push up something, to do push-ups, etc.). That’s not what’s happening here.

Why is it "op de pauzeknop" and not just "de pauzeknop"?

English says “press the button”, with no preposition. Dutch usually uses drukken op:

op = on
drukken op de knop = literally “press on the button”

So Dutch needs the preposition op to express where you press. Without op, the sentence would be ungrammatical:
✗ Ik druk de pauzeknop (wrong in standard Dutch)
✓ Ik druk op de pauzeknop (correct)

Why "de pauzeknop" and not "het pauzeknop"?

Because pauzeknop is a compound noun: pauze + knop.

In Dutch, the gender of a compound noun is usually the same as the last part:

knop = de knop
therefore pauzeknop = de pauzeknop

So it takes the article de, not het.

Why is it "van de video" and not something like "op de video"?

Van de video literally means “of the video” or “belonging to the video”:

de pauzeknop van de video = the video’s pause button / the pause button of the video

If you said op de video, it would mean “on top of the video” in a more literal sense, which doesn’t fit that well here.

So van de video is used to show possession or association (“the pause button that belongs to this video/player/interface”).

What does "even" mean in "loop ik even weg"?

Even literally means something like “for a moment”, “briefly”, or “just”, but it also has a softening/polite role.

In this sentence, loop ik even weg suggests:

It’s brief → I’m not gone for long.
It sounds more casual and mild than just loop ik weg.

So:

loop ik weg = I walk away (neutral, maybe a bit abrupt)
loop ik even weg = I just walk away for a moment (softer, less dramatic)

What does "weg" add in "loop ik even weg"?

Weg is an adverb meaning “away”.

lopen = to walk
weg lopen / weglopen = to walk away

So loop ik even weg = I walk away for a moment.
Without weg, loop ik even would simply mean “I walk for a bit”, without the idea of leaving the place.

Could I say "ga ik even weg" instead of "loop ik even weg"?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly:

loop ik even weg = I walk away for a bit (specifically moving on foot)
ga ik even weg = I go away for a bit (more general: I leave, not specifying how)

Both are natural. Lopen emphasizes the walking itself. Gaan is broader and just focuses on leaving.

Is there any difference in meaning if I switch the sentence around, like:
"Ik druk op de pauzeknop van de video en loop even weg als ik moe word."?

Grammatically it’s fine, but the focus changes.

Original:

Als ik moe word, druk ik op de pauzeknop … en loop ik even weg.
→ Emphasizes the condition first: whenever that happens, this is what I do.

Reordered:

Ik druk op de pauzeknop van de video en loop even weg als ik moe word.
→ Starts with what you usually do; the condition (when I get tired) comes as extra information at the end.

Both are correct; in everyday speech the original “Als ik…” version is very natural when talking about habits.