Building arguments

Building Arguments in Dutch

Dutch has two words for "because": want and omdat. The critical difference is word order.

Want is a coordinating conjunction — the word order stays normal (SVO):

Ik ga niet, want ik ben moe. — I am not going, because I am tired.

Omdat is a subordinating conjunction — the verb goes to the end (SOV):

Ik ga niet omdat ik moe ben. — I am not going because I am tired.

To structure arguments, use linking words. Ten eerste... Ten tweede... Ten slotte... (Firstly... Secondly... Finally...) give your argument a clear structure.

For contrast, use echter (however) or daarentegen (on the other hand). These trigger inversion when they start a sentence:

Echter, niet iedereen is het daarmee eens. — However, not everyone agrees.

Bovendien (moreover) adds a supporting point:

Bovendien is het ook goedkoper. — Moreover, it is also cheaper.

Notice the V2 rule applies: when any element other than the subject starts the sentence, the verb comes second and the subject follows immediately after.