_Daarom_, _toch_, _dan_ and _daarna_ link two ideas, but they are adverbs (words that say when, why or how), not conjunctions (pure joining words like _en_ and _want_). So when one of them starts a main clause, it takes the first position and the verb comes straight after it: _Daarom blijf ik thuis._ After _want_ you keep the normal order: _want ik ben ziek_.
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](#/lesson/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](#/lesson/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
- Not: _Daarna we gingen eten._ Say: _Daarna gingen we eten._ (English says "after that we went", Dutch needs the verb in second place)
- Not: _Eerst bel ik de huisarts, dan ik ga naar de apotheek._ Say: _Eerst bel ik de huisarts, dan ga ik naar de apotheek._ (_dan_ fills position one, so the verb follows)
- Not: _Ik was moe, maar toch ik ging mee._ Say: _Ik was moe, maar toch ging ik mee._ (_maar_ is glue, _toch_ takes position one)
- Not: _Ik neem de trein, want is mijn fiets kapot._ Say: _Ik neem de trein, want mijn fiets is kapot._ (_want_ does not cause inversion)
- Not: _Ik ben ziek, daarom ik thuis blijf._ Say: _Ik 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._
Answers
- _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.