The pattern
When daarom, toch, dan or daarna opens a main clause, it fills position one. The finite verb (the verb that changes with the subject) comes next, and the subject follows it: this swap is called inversion.
- daarom: that is why, for that reason
- toch: still, even so, yet
- dan: then, next, or in that case
- daarna: after that, afterwards
- Order: linking word, verb, subject, rest: Daarna gingen we eten.
- Put the word after the verb and the subject stays in front: Ik blijf daarom thuis.
- want (because) does not cause inversion: want ik ben ziek.
- dus (so) allows both orders: dus ik blijf thuis and dus blijf ik thuis are both correct.
Examples
| Het regent al de hele dag. Daarom blijf ik thuis. | It has been raining all day. That's why I'm staying at home. |
| Eerst vergaderden Lotte en Bas. Daarna gingen ze samen lunchen. | First Lotte and Bas had a meeting. After that they went for lunch together. |
| De trein had vertraging. Toch was Daan op tijd op zijn werk. | The train was delayed. Even so, Daan got to work on time. |
| Je stapt uit bij de bibliotheek, dan loop je nog twee minuten rechtdoor. | You get off at the library, then you walk straight on for two more minutes. |
| Het was koud, maar toch gingen Yara en Carlos naar het strand. | It was cold, but Yara and Carlos still went to the beach. |
| Ahmed was ziek. Hij is daarom niet naar de gemeente gegaan. | Ahmed was ill. That's why he didn't go to the town hall. |
| Priya neemt de trein, want haar fiets heeft een lekke band. | Priya is taking the train, because her bike has a flat tyre. |
| Emma is jarig, dus ik koop een taart. | It's Emma's birthday, so I'm buying a cake. |
| Emma is jarig, dus koop ik een taart. | It's Emma's birthday, so I'm buying a cake. |
Why it works this way
Each of these words is a sentence part in disguise. Daarom means om die reden (for that reason), daarna means na dat moment (after that moment), toch means roughly ondanks alles (despite everything), and dan means daarna or in dat geval. In a Dutch statement, one sentence part comes before the finite verb (see verb second). If that part is not the subject, the subject moves behind the verb, just as in Morgen werk ik thuis. So Om die reden blijf ik thuis and Daarom blijf ik thuis have exactly the same order.
Want is a different kind of word. You cannot swap it for a phrase like om die reden: it is pure glue, like en, maar and of. Glue words stand outside the clause, in a kind of position zero, so the clause after them starts fresh. Usually it starts with the subject (want ik ben ziek), but another part can open it and cause inversion in the normal way: want morgen heb ik geen tijd. That is also why maar toch gingen we is right: maar is the glue, toch fills position one.
Dus can be either kind of word, so the last two examples are both standard Dutch. The order without inversion is very common in speech, and the inverted one tends to sound a little more careful. For the difference between want and omdat, see Omdat or want.
Remember: a Dutch statement has one seat in front of the verb. Daarom, toch, dan and daarna sit in that seat, so the subject has to sit behind the verb. Want only holds the door open and never takes the seat, and dus can do either.
Watch out
FoutDaarna we gingen eten.
GoedDaarna gingen we eten.
English says "after that we went", Dutch needs the verb in second place
FoutEerst bel ik de huisarts, dan ik ga naar de apotheek.
GoedEerst bel ik de huisarts, dan ga ik naar de apotheek.
dan fills position one, so the verb follows
FoutIk was moe, maar toch ik ging mee.
GoedIk was moe, maar toch ging ik mee.
maar is glue, toch takes position one
FoutIk neem de trein, want is mijn fiets kapot.
GoedIk neem de trein, want mijn fiets is kapot.
want does not cause inversion
FoutIk ben ziek, daarom ik thuis blijf.
GoedIk ben ziek, daarom blijf ik thuis.
daarom is not omdat, so the verb does not go to the end
Quick check
- Put ik and neem in the right order: Het regent hard. Daarom ... de bus.
- Choose: Ik blijf vandaag thuis, want (ik ben / ben ik) ziek.
- Fix the sentence, keeping daarna directly after en: Eerst doet Joris boodschappen en daarna hij kookt voor Mei.
- Which sentence is wrong? (a) Het is glad, dus ik ga lopen. (b) Het is glad, dus ga ik lopen. (c) Het is glad, daarom ik ga lopen.
Toon de antwoorden
- neem ik (daarom fills position one, so the verb comes next)
- ik ben (want is glue and does not cause inversion)
- Eerst doet Joris boodschappen en daarna kookt hij voor Mei. (en is glue, daarna fills position one, so the verb comes next)
- (c) (it should be daarom ga ik lopen; a and b are both correct because dus allows both orders)
Use it today
Tonight, tell someone (or your phone) in three Dutch sentences how your day went, putting daarna, daarom and toch once each at the start of a main clause, for example Daarna heb ik gekookt. Then check that the finite verb comes straight after each linking word.