Coordinating conjunctions
A1 Nevenschikkende voegwoorden 12 / 48
In short
en, maar, of, want, dus link two main clauses of equal weight. They do not change the word order: the clause after them stays an ordinary main clause and keeps the order it would have on its own - the conjunction itself adds no inversion, and the verb does not move to the end.
The rule
A coordinating conjunction (“nevenschikkend voegwoord”) sits between two main clauses that could each stand alone. Think of it as a comma with a meaning. It joins them but stays “outside” both clauses, so it does not count as the first sentence element and therefore triggers no inversion.
Pattern: [Main clause 1] + [conjunction] + [Main clause 2 in normal order]
Ik blijf thuis + want + ik ben moe.
(subject + verb) (subject + verb on position 2)The five A1 conjunctions:
| Conjunction | Meaning | Joins clauses by showing |
|---|---|---|
| en | and | extra information |
| maar | but | contrast |
| of | or | a choice / alternative |
| want | because | a reason / cause |
| dus | so, therefore | a result / conclusion |
Key contrast - want vs. omdat. Both mean because, but they behave very differently:
| Type | Conjunction | Word order in 2nd clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinating | want | normal (subject + verb 2nd) | Ik blijf thuis want ik ben moe. |
| Subordinating | omdat | verb goes to the end | Ik blijf thuis omdat ik moe ben. |
Subordinating conjunctions (like omdat, dat, als, terwijl) send the verb to the end of the clause. The five conjunctions in this lesson never do that. (Full treatment of the end-of-clause verb: lesson 35.)
Forms & patterns
The second clause is an ordinary main clause: in a statement its finite verb stays in position 2. Put the subject in position 1 and you get subject + verb; front something else - a time expression, daarna, toch, dan, a whole subordinate clause - and that element fills position 1, so the verb comes next and the subject follows it, exactly as in lesson 06. The conjunction never causes that inversion and never blocks it.
| Clause 1 | Conj. | Pos. 1 | Verb (pos. 2) | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik blijf thuis | want | ik | ben | moe |
| Het regent | dus | ik | neem | een paraplu |
| Hij kookt | en | ik | doe | de afwas |
| Ze is moe | maar | ze | werkt | door |
| Ik drink thee | of | ik | neem | koffie |
| Ik pak mijn tas | en | daarna | loop | ik naar de halte |
| Het is ver | maar | als je vroeg vertrekt | haal | je de trein |
When both clauses have the same subject, you may drop the repeated subject after en, maar, of:
| Full | Shortened |
|---|---|
| Ik werk en ik studeer. | Ik werk en studeer. |
| Hij kookt en hij doet de afwas. | Hij kookt en doet de afwas. |
Examples
| Nederlands | English |
|---|---|
| Ik blijf thuis want ik ben moe. | I’m staying home because I’m tired. |
| Hij kookt en ik doe de afwas. | He cooks and I do the dishes. |
| Zij werkt hard maar ze is gelukkig. | She works hard but she is happy. |
| Wil je koffie of wil je thee? | Do you want coffee or (do you want) tea? |
| Het regent, dus ik neem een paraplu. | It’s raining, so I’m taking an umbrella. |
| We gaan naar het strand want het is warm. | We’re going to the beach because it’s warm. |
| Ik heb honger maar ik heb geen tijd. | I’m hungry but I don’t have time. |
| Ze is ziek, dus ze komt vandaag niet. | She’s ill, so she isn’t coming today. |
Common mistakes
- Ik blijf thuis want ik moe ben -> Ik blijf thuis want ik ben moe - want is coordinating: the verb stays in position 2; it does not go to the end (that’s omdat).
- Hij is ziek en kan hij niet komen -> Hij is ziek en hij kan niet komen - en/maar/of do not trigger inversion themselves; a fronted element does, as in Hij is ziek en daarom kan hij niet komen.
- Ik ben moe, want ik ga slapen -> Ik ben moe, dus ik ga slapen - want gives the cause (the because part); dus gives the result (the so part). Don’t swap them.
- Want ik ben moe, blijf ik thuis -> Omdat ik moe ben, blijf ik thuis - a sentence cannot start with want; use omdat if the reason comes first.
- Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ben moe -> Ik blijf thuis omdat ik moe ben - the opposite trap: after omdat the verb must go to the end.
Tips
- Memory hook: these five are like a comma with meaning - they connect two “boss” clauses but never touch the word order of either one.
- want vs omdat: same meaning (“because”), but want keeps normal order and can only come in the middle; omdat sends the verb to the end and can also start a sentence.
- dus has a twist: it can also be used like an adverb in first position, which does cause inversion: Het regent, dus neem ik een paraplu is just as correct as …dus ik neem…. Both are fine - the other four conjunctions never fill position 1 themselves.
- Quick test: leave out the conjunction - if what follows is still a normal main clause with its verb in position 2 (ik ben moe), the conjunction is coordinating; if the verb sits at the end (ik moe ben), it is subordinating.