One of the first Dutch word-order rules many learners encounter is surprisingly simple:
After omdat, the verb goes to the end.
Compare:
Ik blijf thuis.
I am staying home.
and:
Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben.
I am staying home because I am ill.
In the first sentence, ben appears near the beginning. After omdat, it moves towards the end:
omdat ik ziek ben
Some Dutch teachers call this the katapultconstructie, or catapult structure: Imagine the verb being launched from its usual position towards the back of the sentence. It is a useful memory aid, especially at beginner level. But the catapult is not really a special rule for omdat. What you are learning is something much more important:
In a Dutch subordinate clause (bijzin), the finite verb normally moves away from its usual second position and appears towards the end of the clause. If there are several verbs, they usually form a verb group towards the end.
This pattern starts appearing very early in Dutch courses, but it remains important at intermediate and advanced levels. You will encounter it with words such as omdat, dat, als, terwijl and hoewel, but also in indirect questions and relative clauses.
So even if you learned the “catapult rule” at A1, it is worth returning to it.
Main clause or subordinate clause? At a glance
The most important distinction is between a hoofdzin (main clause) and a bijzin (subordinate clause).
| Structure | Basic word order | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Main clause | finite verb in second position | Ik werk vandaag thuis. |
| Subordinate clause | verb(s) towards the end | … omdat ik vandaag thuis werk. |
| Subordinate clause first | subordinate order + inversion | Omdat ik thuis werk, heb ik meer tijd. |
These three patterns form the basis of this article.
First: word order in a normal Dutch main clause
In a normal Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb or persoonsvorm normally comes in the second position.
Ik werk vandaag thuis.
I am working from home today.
Sara woont in Antwerpen.
Sara lives in Antwerp.
The first position does not have to contain the subject.
Morgen werk ik thuis.
Tomorrow I am working from home.
Here, morgen comes first, but werk still occupies the second position.
Now compare what happens after omdat:
Ik werk vandaag thuis omdat ik ziek ben.
I am working from home today because I am ill.
Inside the part beginning with omdat, the normal main-clause pattern disappears.
Not:
*omdat ik ben ziek (incorrect)
but:
omdat ik ziek ben (correct)
The verb has moved towards the end.
What is a subordinate clause?
A bijzin is a subordinate or dependent clause: a clause that forms part of a larger sentence.
Compare:
Ik ben moe.
I am tired.
This is a complete main clause. Now look at:
omdat ik moe ben
because I am tired
This gives us information, but by itself it feels incomplete. We expect it to belong to a larger sentence:
Ik ga naar bed omdat ik moe ben.
I am going to bed because I am tired.
For beginners, a useful working pattern is:
subordinating word + subject + rest + verb
For example:
omdat + ik + vandaag thuis + werk
becomes:
omdat ik vandaag thuis werk
As sentences become more complex, this simple formula needs some adjustment. But the central principle remains useful: the verb or verb group moves towards the end of the subordinate clause.
Common words that introduce subordinate clauses
Omdat is often the first word learners associate with this structure, but many other words can introduce a subordinate clause.
Some of the most useful are:
- omdat: because
- dat: that
- als: if / when
- wanneer: when
- toen: when, in the past
- terwijl: while
- voordat: before
- nadat: after
- hoewel: although
- zodat: so that
- doordat: because / due to the fact that
- of: whether / if, in an indirect question
Examples:
Omdat
Ik neem de trein omdat mijn auto kapot is.
I am taking the train because my car is broken.
Dat
Ik denk dat hij morgen komt.
I think that he is coming tomorrow.
Als
Ik ga wandelen als het morgen mooi weer is.
I’ll go for a walk if the weather is nice tomorrow.
Wanneer
Ik bel je wanneer ik thuis ben.
I’ll call you when I am home.
Toen
Toen ik klein was, woonde ik in België.
When I was little, I lived in Belgium.
Terwijl
Ik luister naar muziek terwijl ik kook.
I listen to music while I cook.
Voordat
Ik drink koffie voordat ik naar mijn werk ga.
I drink coffee before I go to work.
Hoewel
Ze gaat werken hoewel ze ziek is.
She is going to work although she is ill.
Different meanings, same basic word-order pattern.
Want or omdat?
This is one of the most useful comparisons for Dutch learners. Both want and omdat can introduce a reason.
Compare:
Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek.
I am staying home because I am ill.
and:
Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben.
I am staying home because I am ill.
After want, you still have normal main-clause word order:
ik + ben + ziek
After omdat, you get subordinate-clause word order:
ik + ziek + ben
So as a useful shortcut:
want → main-clause word order
omdat → subordinate-clause word order
The same applies to words such as en and maar. They connect clauses, but they do not create a subordinate clause.
Ik ben moe, maar ik ga toch mee.
I am tired, but I am coming along anyway.
Not:
*maar ik toch mee ga (incorrect)
Be careful with of: “or” or “whether”?
The word of is particularly interesting because it can have two different grammatical functions.
First, of can mean or:
Wil je koffie of drink je liever thee?
Would you like coffee, or would you rather drink tea?
Here, of connects two main clauses. The second clause keeps normal main-clause word order:
drink je liever thee
But of can also mean whether or if in an indirect question:
Ik weet niet of hij koffie drinkt.
I don’t know whether he drinks coffee.
Now of introduces a subordinate clause:
of hij koffie drinkt
The verb moves towards the end.
This is a good example of why it is eventually more useful to recognise main clauses and subordinate clauses than to memorise a list of “words that move the verb”.
What happens when there are two verbs?
The beginner’s rule “the verb goes to the end” becomes slightly more complicated when a sentence contains several verbs.
Start with a main clause:
Ik moet morgen werken.
I have to work tomorrow.
The conjugated verb moet appears in second position. The infinitive werken is already at the end.
Now put this information in a subordinate clause:
Ik kan niet komen omdat ik morgen moet werken.
I cannot come because I have to work tomorrow.
The verbs moet werken now form a group towards the end.
Another example:
Ik weet dat zij Nederlands wil leren.
I know that she wants to learn Dutch.
Not:
*dat zij wil Nederlands leren (incorrect)
but:
dat zij Nederlands wil leren (correct)
More examples:
Hij blijft thuis omdat hij niet kan komen.
He is staying home because he cannot come.
Ze zegt dat ze morgen moet vertrekken.
She says that she has to leave tomorrow.
A useful upgraded rule is therefore:
When several verbs belong together, they normally gather towards the end of the subordinate clause.
Grammarians call such a group a werkwoordelijke eindgroep, or verbal end group. You do not need to remember the term in order to use the structure correctly, but you may encounter it in grammar books.
What about the perfect tense?
Now look at a perfect-tense sentence:
Ik heb het boek gelezen.
I have read the book.
In a subordinate clause, you can say:
Ik weet dat hij het boek heeft gelezen.
I know that he has read the book.
But you may also encounter:
Ik weet dat hij het boek gelezen heeft.
I know that he has read the book.
Both orders are possible in standard Dutch.
The same applies to:
Ik weet dat hij naar huis is gegaan.
I know that he has gone home.
and:
Ik weet dat hij naar huis gegaan is.
I know that he has gone home.
Learners do not need to master all the possible variation immediately. The most important point is the larger structure:
dat + subject + rest + verb group
So concentrate first on avoiding:
*dat hij is naar huis gegaan (incorrect)
and go for:
dat hij naar huis is gegaan (correct)
or:
dat hij naar huis gegaan is (correct)
Once the overall word order feels natural, you can pay more attention to variation inside the verb group.
Separable verbs: putting the verb back together
Separable verbs add another useful detail.
Look at:
Ik sta om zeven uur op.
I get up at seven.
The infinitive is opstaan, but in the main clause it separates:
sta … op
Now compare:
Ik zet mijn wekker omdat ik om zeven uur opsta.
I set my alarm because I get up at seven.
Inside the subordinate clause, the verb comes back together:
op + sta → opsta
Another example:
De trein komt om acht uur aan.
The train arrives at eight.
but:
Ik hoop dat de trein om acht uur aankomt.
I hope that the train arrives at eight.
Again, the separable verb is written as one word in the subordinate clause. This is one reason subordinate-clause word order can remain challenging even when you understand the basic rule. Several pieces of Dutch grammar may be interacting at the same time.
When the subordinate clause comes first
So far, most subordinate clauses have come after the main clause:
Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben.
I am staying home because I am ill.
But the subordinate clause can also come first:
Omdat ik ziek ben, blijf ik thuis.
Because I am ill, I am staying home.
The omdat clause keeps exactly the same word order:
omdat ik ziek ben
But notice what happens afterwards.
Not:
*Omdat ik ziek ben, ik blijf thuis. (incorrect)
but:
Omdat ik ziek ben, blijf ik thuis. (correct)
Why? The whole subordinate clause occupies the first position of the sentence. The finite verb of the main clause therefore comes immediately afterwards.
Compare:
Ik blijf thuis.
with:
Omdat ik ziek ben, blijf ik thuis.
More examples:
Als ik tijd heb, ga ik naar de sportschool.
If I have time, I go to the gym.
Wanneer de les klaar is, ga ik naar huis.
When the lesson is finished, I go home.
Hoewel het regent, gaan we wandelen.
Although it is raining, we are going for a walk.
Two word-order rules are working at the same time:
- In the subordinate clause, the verb moves towards the end.
- Because the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause uses inversion.
This is an important pattern to practise as a complete structure:
Omdat … VERB, VERB + subject …
For example:
Omdat ik morgen moet werken, blijf ik vanavond thuis.
Because I have to work tomorrow, I am staying home tonight.
Omdat or daarom?
Learners often confuse omdat and daarom because they express related ideas.
But their word order is very different.
Omdat
Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben.
I am staying home because I am ill.
Omdat introduces a subordinate clause:
omdat ik ziek ben
Daarom
Ik ben ziek. Daarom blijf ik thuis.
I am ill. That’s why I am staying home.
Daarom does not introduce a subordinate clause.
It occupies the first position of a normal main clause, so the verb follows immediately:
Daarom + blijf + ik + thuis
Not:
*Daarom ik thuis blijf. (incorrect)
This difference shows again why recognising the type of clause is more useful than simply learning that certain words “move the verb”.
The same pattern appears in indirect questions
Subordinate-clause word order also appears in indirect questions.
Compare:
Waar woont hij?
Where does he live?
This is a direct question.
Now look at:
Ik weet niet waar hij woont.
I don’t know where he lives.
The part:
waar hij woont
is a subordinate clause.
The same happens here:
Wanneer begint de film?
When does the film start?
but:
Weet je wanneer de film begint?
Do you know when the film starts?
And:
Komt Anna morgen?
Is Anna coming tomorrow?
becomes:
Ik weet niet of Anna morgen komt.
I don’t know whether Anna is coming tomorrow.
This is one reason the pattern remains important well beyond beginner level. You keep encountering the same word-order principle in new grammatical contexts.
Relative clauses use the same word order
At intermediate level, you will also meet relative clauses.
Start with:
De man woont naast mij.
The man lives next door to me.
Now use that information to describe the man:
De man die naast mij woont, komt uit België.
The man who lives next door to me is from Belgium.
Inside the relative clause:
die naast mij woont
the verb woont appears towards the end.
Another example:
Het boek dat ik nu lees, is erg goed.
The book that I am reading now is very good.
Again:
dat + ik + nu + lees
This is not a completely new word-order system. It is another application of the same subordinate-clause pattern you first encountered with omdat.
A practical way to build a subordinate clause
If subordinate-clause word order still causes problems, do not rely entirely on instinct. Try building the structure consciously.
Step 1: Find the word that introduces the subordinate clause
For example:
omdat
Step 2: Add the subject and other information
omdat + ik + morgen + thuis
Step 3: Put the verb or verb group towards the end
omdat ik morgen thuis werk
With two verbs:
omdat + ik + morgen + thuis + moet werken
becomes:
omdat ik morgen thuis moet werken
This may feel artificial at first, bu that is not a problem. A grammatical structure often has to become conscious before it becomes automatic.
Summary (TL;DR)
Dutch word order becomes much easier if you first ask:
Am I dealing with a main clause or a subordinate clause?
Main clause
The finite verb normally comes in second position:
Ik werk vandaag thuis.
I am working from home today.
Subordinate clause
The verb or verb group normally moves towards the end:
… omdat ik vandaag thuis werk.
… because I am working from home today.
With several verbs:
… omdat ik vandaag thuis moet werken.
… because I have to work from home today.
Subordinate clause first
The subordinate clause keeps its own word order, and the main clause uses inversion:
Omdat ik vandaag thuis werk, heb ik meer tijd.
Because I am working from home today, I have more time.
So the three most useful patterns are:
Main clause: subject + finite verb + rest
Ik werk vandaag thuis.
Subordinate clause: subordinating word + subject + rest + verb(s)
omdat ik vandaag thuis werk
Subordinate clause first: subordinate clause + finite verb + subject
Omdat ik vandaag thuis werk, heb ik meer tijd.
The “catapult” is a useful way to remember what happens, but the real skill is learning to recognise a bijzin.
Once you can do that, the same pattern suddenly explains much more than sentences with omdat. It helps with dat, als, terwijl, hoewel, indirect questions, relative clauses and many of the longer sentences you will encounter as your Dutch improves. And that is why this apparently simple A1 rule is worth practising long after A1.
Free Dutch Subordinate Clauses Cheat Sheet
Would you like to keep the main word-order patterns close at hand? Download the free Dutch Subordinate Clauses Cheat Sheet for a clear one-page overview of main clauses and subordinate clauses, verb position, omdat vs. want, and the most important mistakes to avoid.