---
title: "What can come after the final verbs"
level: B2
chapter: "Word order"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/after-the-final-verb
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# What can come after the final verbs

Most of a Dutch sentence has to fit before the final verbs (the verbs that close the clause, like _gezegd_ in _Ik heb gezegd_). A few parts may follow them: subordinate clauses (mini sentences with their own verb, such as _dat_ and _om te_ clauses), comparisons with _dan_ or _als_, and often a prepositional phrase (a preposition plus its noun, like _op de bus_). Objects (the person or thing the verb acts on) and _niet_ stay before the final verbs: _Ik heb gezegd dat ik kom_, but _Ik heb de bus gemist_.

## The pattern

> Objects and _niet_ stay before the final verbs of their own clause. Clauses with their own verb, comparisons and often a prepositional phrase can follow those verbs, and _dat_ clauses must.

- Clauses with _dat_ and indirect questions with _of_, _waarom_ or _wie_: after the final verbs, not between the two verb parts.
- Other subordinate clauses, started by words like _omdat_, _toen_ or _als_: usually after the final verbs, or at the very start of the sentence.
- Relative clauses with _die_ or _dat_: right after their noun, or behind the final verbs.
- _Om te_ clauses ([in order to](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/om-te)): usually after the final verbs. Inside them, the object comes before _te_ plus the verb.
- Comparisons with _dan_ or _als_ ([comparisons](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/comparing-dan-als)): usually after.
- Prepositional phrases: before or after. After is common with verbs that have a fixed preposition and with longer phrases.

## Examples

| Ik heb gisteren tegen mijn baas gezegd **dat ik vrijdag vrij wil**. | Yesterday I told my boss that I want Friday off. |
| Fatima heeft gevraagd **of de cursus ook online kan**. | Fatima asked whether the course can also be taken online. |
| We zijn thuisgebleven **omdat het zo hard regende**. | We stayed at home because it was raining so hard. |
| Sanne is naar de gemeente gegaan **om haar nieuwe paspoort op te halen**. | Sanne went to the town hall to collect her new passport. |
| Joris is dit jaar langer geworden **dan zijn vader**. | This year Joris has grown taller than his father. |
| De huren zijn in Utrecht net zo hard gestegen **als in Amsterdam**. | Rents in Utrecht have gone up just as fast as in Amsterdam. |
| Ik denk dat de vergadering langer heeft geduurd **dan gepland**. | I think the meeting went on longer than planned. |
| Bas heeft twintig minuten gewacht **op de bus naar het ziekenhuis**. | Bas waited twenty minutes for the bus to the hospital. |
| Priya heeft gisteren een buurvrouw ontmoet **die ook uit Chennai komt**. | Yesterday Priya met a neighbour who is also from Chennai. |

## Why it works this way

Think of the clause as a train. In a main clause, the conjugated verb (the one that matches the subject) opens the doors and the final verbs close them. Objects, _niet_ and most adverbs have to be on board before the doors shut: _Ik heb de bus niet gehaald._ A whole clause is a small sentence with its own verb, so it travels in a second carriage coupled behind. Comparisons and many prepositional phrases may ride there too. This builds on [the verb bracket](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verb-bracket). In a subordinate clause the conjugated verb joins the final verbs, and the same rule applies: _dat de vergadering langer heeft geduurd dan gepland_.

The back carriage also keeps sentences easy to follow. Squeeze a clause inside and the verbs pile up, as in the wrong _Ik heb dat ik later kom gezegd_.

For prepositional phrases you often have a real choice. _Ik heb lang op de bus gewacht_ and _Ik heb lang gewacht op de bus_ are both correct; the second is very common in speech. Short phrases that form a unit with the verb stay inside: _Ze is naar huis gegaan_, _Hij is in slaap gevallen_. With comparisons, _Joris is langer dan zijn vader geworden_ is possible, but most speakers put _dan zijn vader_ at the end.

When an object seems to follow the final verbs, it belongs to the trailing clause: in _Ik heb geprobeerd de huisarts te bellen_, _de huisarts_ belongs to _te bellen_ and still comes before it. In relaxed speech you may also hear an afterthought after a pause: _Ik heb hem gezien, die nieuwe collega_. That is an add-on; the object _hem_ is already inside the sentence.

English, Spanish and Arabic put the object after the verb, so _Ik heb gekocht een fiets_ feels natural to many learners. In Dutch it is wrong. German works much like Dutch here, though Dutch moves prepositional phrases behind the verbs more freely.

Remember: if it has its own verb, or starts with _dan_ or _als_, it may ride in the back carriage. A plain object or _niet_ stays on board.

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik heb gisteren gekocht een nieuwe fiets._ Say: _Ik heb gisteren een nieuwe fiets gekocht._ (the object stays before the final verb)
- Not: _We hebben de factuur betaald niet._ Say: _We hebben de factuur niet betaald._ (_niet_ stays before the final verb)
- Not: _Ze heeft dat ze later komt gezegd._ Say: _Ze heeft gezegd dat ze later komt._ (a _dat_ clause goes after the final verbs)
- Not: _Ik bel de gemeente om te maken een afspraak._ Say: _Ik bel de gemeente om een afspraak te maken._ (inside an _om te_ clause, the object comes before _te_ plus verb)
- Not: _Hij is gegaan naar huis._ Say: _Hij is naar huis gegaan._ (a short fixed phrase like _naar huis_ stays inside)

## Quick check

1. Fix the word order, keeping _Daan_ at the start: _Daan heeft dat hij later komt gemaild._
2. Which sentence is wrong? (a) _Carlos heeft de hele middag gepraat over de verbouwing._ (b) _De reparatie is duurder geworden dan de garage had gezegd._ (c) _Emma heeft gisteren gekocht een tweedehands fiets._
3. Fix the sentence: _Ahmed heeft de huisarts gebeld niet._
4. Fix the sentence: _Yara gaat naar de bibliotheek om te lenen een kookboek._

## Answers

1. _Daan heeft gemaild dat hij later komt._ (a _dat_ clause follows the final verb)
2. (c): _Emma heeft gisteren een tweedehands fiets gekocht._ (the object goes before the final verb; a and b are correct)
3. _Ahmed heeft de huisarts niet gebeld._ (_niet_ stays before the final verb)
4. _Yara gaat naar de bibliotheek om een kookboek te lenen._ (the object comes before _te_ plus verb)

## Use it today

Write a colleague or neighbour a short message in the perfect tense with three sentences: one with _gezegd dat_ or _gevraagd of_, one with an _om te_ clause, and one with _gewacht op_ or _nagedacht over_. Then check that every object sits before its final verb.

## Questions learners ask

**Can a prepositional phrase come after the past participle in Dutch?**

Yes, often. Both _Ik heb lang op de bus gewacht_ and _Ik heb lang gewacht op de bus_ are correct, but short fixed phrases like _naar huis_ stay before the verb: _Ik ben naar huis gegaan_.

**Why is "Ik heb gekocht een fiets" wrong in Dutch?**

In Dutch, the object stays before the final verbs of its clause, so you say _Ik heb een fiets gekocht_. Only parts like _dat_ clauses, _om te_ clauses, comparisons and some prepositional phrases can follow the participle.

**Does a dat clause go before or after the verb at the end in Dutch?**

After it. You say _Ik heb gezegd dat ik kom_, never with the _dat_ clause squeezed between _heb_ and _gezegd_.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.