Subordinating conjunctions in Dutch: omdat, als, terwijl, hoewel, zodat

A subordinating conjunction attaches an extra clause to a main clause and, unlike a coordinating conjunction, it changes the word order: the finite verb (the conjugated verb) moves to the end of that clause. Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben. (I am staying home because I am ill.) Notice ben at the very end.

The conjunction opens a subordinate clause (a clause that cannot stand on its own), and inside it the verbs gather at the end. When the clause has a single verb, as in the examples here, it lands at the very end. This is the rule that matters, and it is covered in detail on subordinate clauses: the verb goes to the end.

1. Start with the main clause: We gaan naar buiten (We are going outside).
2. Add the conjunction: als (if / when).
3. Write the extra clause but move the verb to the end: het droog is (it is dry) — the verb is comes last, not after het.

Together: We gaan naar buiten als het droog is. Compare the plain sentence het is droog (it is dry): after als, the verb jumps from second place to the very end.

You can put the subordinate clause at the front of the sentence. Then the whole clause fills the first position, so the main clause that follows starts with its verb (subject and verb swap places).

• Omdat ik ziek ben, blijf ik thuis. (Because I am ill, I am staying home.) — the main clause begins with the verb blijf.
• Als het droog is, gaan we naar buiten. (If it is dry, we go outside.) — main clause begins with gaan.
• Hoewel het regende, gingen we wandelen. (Although it was raining, we went for a walk.)

English keeps the verb in its usual spot after words like because and while, so learners often leave it there in Dutch too: omdat hij is ziek. In Dutch the verb must go last: omdat hij ziek is. When a clause opens with omdat, dat, als, terwijl, hoewel, zodat, voordat or nadat, listen for the verb landing at the end.