want, omdat or doordat: giving a reason in Dutch

Dutch has three common ways to say because: want, omdat and doordat. They are not interchangeable — they differ in word order and in the kind of reason they give. Ik ga naar huis, want ik ben moe. / Ik ga naar huis omdat ik moe ben. (I am going home because I am tired.)

Use want to give a reason without changing word order; use omdat for a reason or motive with the verb sent to the end; use doordat for an impersonal cause, also with the verb at the end. The word-order difference comes first, then the meaning difference between omdat and doordat.

1. want is a coordinating conjunction: the clause after it is a normal main clause with the verb in second position — want ik ben moe.
2. omdat and doordat are subordinating conjunctions: they push the finite verb to the end — omdat ik moe ben, doordat de weg glad was.
3. Between omdat and doordat, ask whether a person's reasoning or will is involved. If yes, use omdat (a reason). If the cause just happens to someone, with no intent, use doordat (a cause).

omdat answers why did someone do this? — it points to a motive. doordat answers what caused this to happen? — it points to a circumstance no one chose.

• Motive (a choice) → omdat: Ze nam ontslag omdat ze een betere baan had gevonden. (She quit because she had found a better job.)
• Impersonal cause (no choice) → doordat: De trein had vertraging doordat er een storing was. (The train was delayed because there was a technical fault.)
• Natural events lean toward doordat: De weg was glad doordat het had gevroren. (The road was slippery because it had frozen.)

In everyday speech the line between omdat and doordat has softened, and many speakers use omdat for both. For an exam it is safer to keep the split: doordat for a cause with no human intent.

• want fits relaxed, spoken sentences and keeps word order easy: Neem een paraplu mee, want het gaat regenen. (Bring an umbrella, because it is going to rain.)
• want cannot start a sentence. To lead with the reason, use omdat: Omdat het regende, bleven we thuis. (Because it was raining, we stayed home.)
• want cannot answer Waarom? (Why?) on its own — the answer needs omdat: Waarom ben je thuis? — Omdat ik ziek ben.

The most common error is keeping the verb in second position after omdat or doordat, on the model of want: omdat ik ben moe. Only want leaves the verb there. After omdat and doordat the verb goes last: omdat ik moe ben, doordat de trein te laat was.