Clauses after the verb cluster: dat ..., om te ..., dan ... and die ...
Which clause-shaped parts must or usually do follow the closing verb cluster at the right edge of a Dutch sentence.
In De instructie was zo onduidelijk opgesteld dat drie deelnemers dezelfde vraag stelden (The instruction was written so unclearly that three participants asked the same question), the dat clause follows the closing verbs was opgesteld. This right-edge position is required for some clause types and strongly preferred for others.
How do you place a clause after the verb cluster?
Finish the main sentence's verb cluster first, then place the dependent clause at the right edge when its anchor and clause type require or favour that position.
- Find the main sentence and its closing verb or verb cluster: De instructie was zo onduidelijk opgesteld (The instruction was written so unclearly).
- Find the word that announces extra clause-shaped information. Common signals are zo (so), a comparative such as langer (longer), an adjective such as te zwaar (too heavy), or a noun such as de vraag (the question).
- Identify the dependent clause and its opener: dat, om ... te, clause-shaped dan or als, of, or a relative word such as die or dat.
- Close the main verb cluster before that dependent clause where the pattern below says ‘required’ or ‘strong tendency’.
- Check which earlier word the clause belongs to. A separated relative must still clearly point to its intended noun.
| Following clause | Strength of right-edge placement | Example |
|---|---|---|
| result clause after zo | required | De wachtrij was zo lang geworden dat de balie later moest sluiten. (The queue had become so long that the desk had to close later.) |
| full comparison clause with dan or als | required after the comparison anchor and closing cluster | Het onderzoek heeft langer geduurd dan de commissie had verwacht. (The investigation took longer than the committee had expected.) |
| (om) te clause after an adjective or genoeg/voldoende | required | De kist bleek te zwaar om zonder hulp te verplaatsen. (The crate proved too heavy to move without help.) |
| clause that gives the content of a noun | strong tendency; nearly required in some fixed noun–verb combinations | De voorzitter heeft de vraag gesteld of de termijn haalbaar is. (The chair asked whether the deadline is feasible.) |
| ordinary relative clause | strong tendency when the antecedent is not the first-position subject, especially when the clause is long or new | We hebben gisteren een adviseur gesproken die de regeling goed kent. (Yesterday we spoke to an adviser who knows the scheme well.) |
| continuative relative that adds a next event | required after the closing cluster | De directie heeft de nieuwe planning bekendgemaakt, die vervolgens tot extra vragen leidde. (Management announced the new schedule, which then led to additional questions.) |
Which positions are rules, and which are tendencies?
A result clause belongs to a degree expression such as zo druk (so crowded), and it must follow the closing verbs: De wachtruimte was zo druk geworden dat er buiten een rij ontstond (The waiting room had become so crowded that a queue formed outside). The same hard right-edge pattern applies to a clause-shaped comparison and to an (om) te clause licensed by an adjective, genoeg (enough), or voldoende (sufficient).
A noun-complement clause or ordinary relative is different. Dutch strongly tends to place it after the closing cluster, particularly when the clause is long, important, or new information, but this is not one mechanical rule for every noun phrase. Compare We hebben een rapport ontvangen dat alle kosten verklaart (We received a report that explains all costs), where dat alle kosten verklaart is separated from een rapport.
Do not normally separate a relative from a subject that already stands first. Keep De planner die de route kent, heeft ons gebeld (The planner who knows the route called us) together. The version De planner heeft ons gebeld die de route kent is at best hard to process because the relative arrives after a complete statement and its link to the first-position subject is weak.
How do comparison and relative clauses differ from shorter phrases?
This page covers clause-shaped material. dan we hadden verwacht (than we had expected) contains its own subject and verbs, so it follows the matrix cluster in Het heeft langer geduurd dan we hadden verwacht (It took longer than we had expected). A short comparison such as dan vorige week (than last week) is a phrase, not a clause, and has more placement freedom. Review the choice of connector on dan versus als.
An ordinary relative identifies or describes a noun. A continuative relative instead adds what happened next and works much like a new coordinated statement: De raad heeft de maatregel ingetrokken, die daarna opnieuw werd besproken (The council withdrew the measure, which was then discussed again). The comma, a word such as daarna (after that), and the event sequence help signal this reading.
How is this different from a prepositional phrase after the cluster?
A prepositional phrase such as op de uitslag (for the result) can often stand either before or after the closing verbs: ... dat we op de uitslag hebben gewacht or ... dat we hebben gewacht op de uitslag (... that we waited for the result). That optional PP pattern belongs to prepositional phrases after the cluster.
Here the following material has its own clause structure. Keep the main sentence frame visible: middle-field material first, the closing verb cluster next, and the licensed dependent clause at the right edge.
When do you place a clause at the right edge?
- Place a dat result clause after the closing cluster when it completes a zo degree expression.
- Place a full dan or als comparison clause after the closing cluster; do not extend this hard rule to every short comparison phrase.
- Place an (om) te clause after an adjective or degree word that licenses it: te zwaar om te tillen (too heavy to lift).
- Usually place a noun-complement clause or a long ordinary relative after the cluster when its noun is not the first-position subject.
- Place a continuative relative after the cluster because it adds a following event rather than merely building one noun phrase.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not put the end of a result clause before the main closing verbs. Use ... zo ingewikkeld geworden dat niemand het formulier direct begreep (... become so complicated that nobody immediately understood the form).
- Do not call every dan or als group a clause. dan mijn buurman (than my neighbour) has no verb of its own; this page's hard comparison rule concerns a full dependent clause.
- Do not move an ordinary relative away from a first-position subject merely to create distance. Keeping subject and relative together prevents an unclear attachment.
- Do not use the rule for clauses to settle the position of a plain PP. The PP page owns that separate before-or-after choice.
See also
Review the Dutch sentence frame, relative die and dat, and dan versus als in comparisons. For non-clausal material at the right edge, use prepositional phrases after the verb cluster.
- Which sentence correctly places a result clause after the closing verb cluster?
- *Het systeem is zo traag dat niemand kon inloggen geworden.*
- *Het systeem zo traag is geworden dat niemand kon inloggen.*
- *Het systeem is zo traag geworden dat niemand kon inloggen.*
- *Dat niemand kon inloggen het systeem is zo traag geworden.*
*is geworden* closes the main sentence, and the result clause *dat niemand kon inloggen* follows it at the right edge.
- Which option contains a full comparison clause in its usual right-edge position?
- *De reparatie heeft langer geduurd dan wij hadden voorzien.*
- *De reparatie dan wij hadden voorzien heeft langer geduurd.*
- *Dan wij hadden voorzien de reparatie heeft langer geduurd.*
- *De reparatie heeft dan wij langer geduurd hadden voorzien.*
*dan wij hadden voorzien* has its own subject and verbs. It follows matrix cluster *heeft geduurd*.
- Which sentence follows the strong right-edge tendency for a clause that gives the content of *de vraag*?
- *De vraag of het budget volstaat heeft de commissie gesteld.*
- *Of het budget volstaat heeft de commissie de vraag gesteld.*
- *De commissie of het budget volstaat heeft de vraag gesteld.*
- *De commissie heeft de vraag gesteld of het budget volstaat.*
The main clause closes with *heeft ... gesteld*. The content clause *of het budget volstaat* then follows at the right edge.
- Which sentence contains a continuative relative that adds a later event?
- *De brief die op tafel ligt, is voor de directeur.*
- *De medewerker die ons hielp, werkt vandaag thuis.*
- *De directie heeft het plan gepubliceerd, dat daarna breed werd besproken.*
- *Het plan dat gisteren verscheen bevat drie hoofdstukken.*
The comma and *daarna* show that *dat daarna breed werd besproken* adds the next event after publication. It follows closing participle *gepubliceerd*.
- Which sentence keeps a relative clause safely attached to a first-position subject?
- *De monteur heeft vanmorgen gebeld die de lift controleert.*
- *De monteur die de lift controleert, heeft vanmorgen gebeld.*
- *Die de lift controleert, de monteur heeft vanmorgen gebeld.*
- *De monteur heeft die de lift controleert vanmorgen gebeld.*
*De monteur* is the first-position subject, so keeping *die de lift controleert* directly beside it makes the attachment clear and natural.
Test yourself
Question 1 of 5
Which sentence correctly places a result clause after the closing verb cluster?