Dutch conditionals (if clauses)
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Sign up for freeIn this chapter you will learn about the Dutch conditionals, also known as 'if clauses'. Conditionals describe a certain proviso.
Definition and usage of the Dutch conditional
A conditional is used to describe a certain proviso. The conditional always consists of two elements:
- the condition
- and the result if the condition is fulfilled.
The if clauses in Dutch are formed with the word 'als'. The conjugate, or finite verb has to be placed at the end of the conditional sentence.
The following table shows you the situations in which the conditional is used and examples.
| Situation | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
1. The condition is a possibility and the result is probably going to happen. |
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2. The condition is an event that probably will not happen and the result describes what will happen if the unlikely condition will be fulfilled. |
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| 3. The condition is about an event in the past that did not happen. The result tells you what would have happened if the event took place. |
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You can put the word 'dan' directly after the comma, but it is not mandatory. For example:
- Als ik gestudeerd had, zou ik zijn geslaagd. (If I had studied I would have passed.)
- Als ik gestudeerd had, dan zou ik zijn geslaagd.
2) Concordance of tenses with the Dutch conditional
The conjugation of verbs in the conditional in the present and in the past tenses is quite easy to master, but it is necessary to respect the tense concordance.
| Main clause | Subordinate clause | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| present simple | present simple | Als je al je groenten eet, krijg je dessert. | If you eat all your vegetables, you get dessert. |
| present simple | future simple | Als u dokter wordt, zult u in een ziekenhuis werken. | If you become a doctor, you will be working in a hospital. |
| past simple | conditional present | Als hij wat langer kon slapen, zou hij meer uitgerust zijn. | If he slept a bit longer, he would be more rested. |
| past perfect | conditional perfect | Als we hen hadden gewaarschuwd, zouden ze het besmette water niet hebben gedronken. | If we had warned them, they would not have drunk the contaminated water. |
In the spoken langage, the conditional perfect is often replaced by the past perfect. This avoids long verbal groups when a modal verb (moeten, kunnen, mogen, willen) is used for example.
Examples
- Als hij het hout had gekapt, hadden we een vuur kunnen maken. = If he had cut the wood, we could have made a fire.
- Hij had de commode moeten vervangen. = He should have replaced the dresser.
And now, practice using the exercises below!