Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.

Als means if here.

In Dutch, als is the normal word for a real condition:

• Als het regent, blijven we thuis. = If it rains, we stay home.
• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd. = If we walk faster, we’ll arrive on time.

For many learners, it helps to remember:

• als = if in ordinary condition sentences
• wanneer can sometimes also mean if/when, but als is the most natural choice here

So als introduces the condition: first the condition, then the result.

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

So:

• we lopen sneller = main clause word order
• als we sneller lopen = subordinate clause word order

This is a very common Dutch pattern:

• Ik weet dat hij komt.
• Omdat we haast hebben, lopen we sneller.
• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.

To an English speaker, this often feels unusual, because English does not usually push the verb to the end in the same way.

Because the sentence starts with the als-clause, and when a different element comes first in a Dutch main clause pattern, the finite verb must come before the subject. This is often called inversion.

Basic main clause order:

• We komen op tijd.

But if something else comes first, the verb comes before the subject:

• Morgen komen we op tijd.
• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.

So the first position is taken by the whole clause Als we sneller lopen, and then the main clause begins with the verb:

• komen
• then we

This is one of the most important Dutch word order rules.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.
• We komen op tijd als we sneller lopen.

The difference is mostly about emphasis and structure:

• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.
  This puts the condition first.
• We komen op tijd als we sneller lopen.
  This starts with the result and adds the condition afterward.

When the als-clause comes first, you get inversion in the main clause: komen we.
When the main clause comes first, normal order stays: we komen.

Sneller is the comparative form of snel.

• snel = fast / quickly
• sneller = faster / more quickly

In Dutch, snel can function both like an adjective and like an adverb, depending on the sentence.

Here it describes how we walk, so in English we might naturally translate it as more quickly or faster:

• We lopen snel. = We walk fast / quickly.
• We lopen sneller. = We walk faster / more quickly.

So sneller lopen means to walk faster.

Because Dutch often uses the same word where English distinguishes between an adjective and an adverb.

Compare:

• English: fast / quickly
• Dutch: often just snel

Examples:

• een snelle auto = a fast car
• De auto rijdt snel. = The car drives fast / quickly

So in sneller lopen, Dutch does not need a different adverb form. Sneller works perfectly.

Dutch, like English, often uses the present tense for future meaning when the context is clear.

So:

• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.

literally looks like:

• If we walk faster, we arrive on time

but it naturally means:

• If we walk faster, we’ll arrive on time

This is very normal in Dutch, especially in conditionals and everyday speech. You do not need a future marker like zullen here.

You could sometimes use zullen, but it is less natural in a simple sentence like this.

Op tijd is the normal Dutch expression for on time.

• op tijd = on time / not late

Examples:

• Ik ben op tijd. = I’m on time.
• We komen op tijd. = We arrive on time.

English speakers often want to translate word for word, but in tijd is not the usual expression for this meaning.

Very roughly:

• op tijd = on time
• te laat = too late

So komen we op tijd means we’ll arrive on time.

The comma separates the subordinate clause from the main clause:

• Als we sneller lopen, = subordinate clause
• komen we op tijd. = main clause

In Dutch, it is standard to use a comma when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause, especially when it makes the sentence clearer and easier to read.

So the comma helps show the structure:

condition, result

Lopen is a good, natural choice if you specifically mean walk.

• lopen = to walk
• gaan = to go

So:

• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.
  = If we walk faster, we’ll arrive on time.

If you used gaan, the meaning would be less specifically about walking and more about going in general. In this sentence, lopen fits well because speed on foot is the point.

The structure is:

Als-clause + main clause

More specifically:

• Als = introduces the condition
• we = subject
• sneller = adverb/comparative
• lopen = verb at the end of the subordinate clause

Then:

• komen = finite verb first in the main clause because of inversion
• we = subject
• op tijd = fixed expression meaning on time

So the pattern is:

Als + subject + other information + verb, finite verb + subject + rest

That same pattern appears in many Dutch sentences:

• Als ik tijd heb, kom ik mee.
• Als het mooi weer is, gaan we naar buiten.
• Als we sneller lopen, komen we op tijd.