Zonder dat iemand iets zei, pakte Tom de schroevendraaier en draaide hij de losse schroef vast.

Zonder dat means without (the fact that) / without ... -ing and introduces a full subordinate clause.

• zonder
  • noun: zonder woorden = without words
• zonder te
  • infinitive: zonder iets te zeggen = without saying anything
• zonder dat
  • clause: zonder dat iemand iets zei = without anyone saying anything

So here, Dutch chooses a full clause with its own subject (iemand) and verb (zei).

Because zonder dat introduces a subordinate clause, and in Dutch subordinate clauses the finite verb usually goes to the end.

So:

• Main clause: iemand zei iets
• Subordinate clause: dat iemand iets zei

That is why you get:

• Zonder dat iemand iets zei

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Dutch.

Zei is the simple past of zeggen.

The whole sentence tells a past event in a narrative style, so Dutch naturally uses the simple past for all the main actions:

• zei = said
• pakte = took
• draaide = turned

Dutch often uses the simple past in storytelling where English might also use simple past.

You could also make parts of this idea with a perfect tense in other contexts, but here the simple past is the normal choice.

Because the sentence begins with the subordinate clause Zonder dat iemand iets zei. When a Dutch main clause starts with something other than the subject, Dutch uses inversion: the finite verb comes before the subject.

Basic main clause:

• Tom pakte de schroevendraaier.

After an opening element:

• Zonder dat iemand iets zei, pakte Tom de schroevendraaier.

So the pattern is:

1. opening element
2. finite verb
3. subject

This is standard Dutch V2 word order.

This is another word-order question. Dutch main clauses normally follow V2 order, and the conjunction en does not count as the first element of the clause.

So draaide hij is a normal inverted order in this kind of narrative sequence.

It also matches the rhythm of the previous clause:

• pakte Tom ...
• en draaide hij ...

You may also encounter en hij draaide ... in other contexts, especially if the subject is being emphasized, but en draaide hij is very natural here.

This is the separable verb vastdraaien.

It means something like:

• to tighten
• literally: to turn fast/fixed

In a main clause, separable verbs split:

• infinitive: vastdraaien
• past tense main clause: draaide ... vast

So:

• Hij draaide de schroef vast. = He tightened the screw.

This is very common in Dutch:

• opstaan → Hij stond op
• aandoen → Hij deed het licht aan
• vastdraaien → Hij draaide de schroef vast

In subordinate clauses, the parts usually come back together at the end:

• ... dat hij de schroef vastdraaide

Because Dutch adjectives usually take an -e ending before a noun when they are used attributively, especially after de.

So:

• de losse schroef = the loose screw
• de grote tafel = the big table
• de rode auto = the red car

The basic adjective is los = loose, but before de schroef it becomes losse.

This -e ending is a very common adjective ending in Dutch.

Here losse means loose, in the sense that the screw is not tight or is coming undone.

So de losse schroef is:

• the loose screw
• not a screw that is separate from others, but one that needs tightening

That fits the next action: Tom picks up the screwdriver and tightens it.

Dutch often uses iets where English would use something or anything, depending on context.

So:

• iemand = someone / anyone
• iets = something / anything

In zonder dat iemand iets zei, iets is perfectly normal and means anything in natural English.

Dutch does not always switch to a special any- form the way English does.

Because Dutch has both weak (regular) and strong/irregular verbs.

• pakken → pakte
• draaien → draaide
  These are regular past tense forms.

But:

• zeggen → zei
  This is irregular.

So the sentence gives you both patterns:

• regular verbs add a past ending
• irregular verbs change more unpredictably and must often be learned individually

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Zonder dat iemand iets zei, ...

In Dutch, an introductory subordinate clause is normally separated from the main clause with a comma. So the comma helps mark the boundary between:

1. the subordinate clause
2. the main clause

This is standard punctuation.

Yes. A very common alternative would be:

• Zonder iets te zeggen pakte Tom de schroevendraaier en draaide hij de losse schroef vast.

That uses zonder te + infinitive instead of zonder dat + clause.

The difference is mainly structural:

• zonder dat iemand iets zei = full clause, explicitly mentions someone
• zonder iets te zeggen = infinitive construction, more compact

Both are natural, but the original sentence highlights that nobody said anything before Tom acted.

Yes. Dutch very often forms long compound nouns as a single word.

• schroef = screw
• draaier = turner/driver
• schroevendraaier = screwdriver

This is completely normal in Dutch. English often writes similar ideas as one word, two words, or hyphenated words depending on the item, but Dutch strongly prefers one compound word here.