Subordinate clauses: the verb goes to the end

A bijzin (subordinate clause) is a part of a sentence that cannot stand on its own; it hangs off a main clause and usually starts with a linking word like omdat (because) or dat (that): Ik blijf thuis omdat ik moe ben. (I'm staying home because I'm tired.) The key thing to learn is what happens to the verb inside that clause.

In a subordinate clause the finite verb — the conjugated verb that agrees with the subject — moves to the very end of the clause, right next to any other verbs. Compare a main clause, where the finite verb sits in second position:

So the same sentence changes shape once you put a linking word in front of it:

1. Start the clause with the subordinating word: omdat, dat, als, terwijl (while), hoewel (although), and others. See subordinating conjunctions for the full list.
2. Keep the subject and the middle of the sentence in their normal order: ... omdat ik vandaag geen tijd ...
3. Send the finite verb to the end: ... omdat ik vandaag geen tijd heb. (... because I have no time today.)

When the clause has more than one verb, they all gather at the end. The participle or infinitive stays put and the finite verb joins it: Ik denk dat hij naar huis is gegaan. (I think he has gone home.) Either order of the two verbs is usually fine (... is gegaan or ... gegaan is); more on stacking verbs in the end verb cluster.

The rule kicks in whenever the clause opens with a subordinating word. The most common triggers:

• Reason or cause: omdat, doordat, aangezien (since). Ze belde niet omdat haar telefoon leeg was. (She didn't call because her phone was dead.)
• Condition or time: als (if/when), toen (when, in the past), terwijl, voordat (before), nadat (after), zodra (as soon as). Bel me als je op het station staat. (Call me when you're at the station.)
• A dat-clause reporting or naming something: Ik hoop dat het morgen droog blijft. (I hope it stays dry tomorrow.)
• Contrast or purpose: hoewel (although), zodat (so that). We namen de fiets, hoewel het hard waaide. (We took the bike, although it was blowing hard.)

The little words that join two full main clauses — en (and), maar (but), of (or), want (because), dus (so) — do not do this. After them the verb stays in second position: Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben moe. Notice want keeps normal order, but its close cousin omdat sends the verb to the end. For the difference between want and omdat, see want, omdat or doordat.

You can put the subordinate clause at the front of the sentence. When you do, the whole clause fills the first position, so the main clause that follows must start with its verb (the verb-second rule counting the clause as one unit):

• Omdat ik moe ben, blijf ik thuis. (Because I'm tired, I'm staying home.)
• Toen de film begon, ging het licht uit. (When the film started, the light went out.)

The verb is still last inside the subclause (ben, begon), and the main clause verb comes right after the comma (blijf, ging).

English keeps the same word order in this kind of clause ("because I am tired"), so English speakers often leave the Dutch verb in second position: omdat ik ben moe. That is wrong — the verb must go to the end: omdat ik moe ben. Whenever you write a clause starting with omdat, dat, als, terwijl and the like, check that the conjugated verb has landed at the very end.