Conditional Sentences in Dutch: als, indien and the als/toen Contrast — B1 Dutch Grammar Course, Lesson 5 | My Dutch Journal

Conditional Sentences in Dutch: als, indien and the als/toen Contrast | B1 Dutch, Lesson 5

July 4, 2026

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Welcome to B1 Lesson five. This lesson is about conditional subclauses — sentences that express an if or when condition. In Dutch, the most important word for this is als. You have almost certainly seen it before. In this lesson, you will learn exactly how it works as a conditional conjunction, discover its dual function as both if and when, and meet two formal variants — indien and mits — that you will encounter in written Dutch. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use als confidently in your own sentences, and you will recognise the other conditional words when you read them.

als — the conditional conjunction

Als is the most common conditional conjunction in Dutch. It means if — and it works exactly like the other subclauses you learned in Lesson four. Als introduces a subclause, and in a subclause, the verb goes to the end. Look at the first example: "Ze helpt je, als je het vraagt. She helps you, if you ask. The verb in the als-clause is vraagt — it goes to the very end. Hij belt zijn moeder, als hij tijd heeft. He calls his mother, if he has time. Again — heeft at the end. Je krijgt korting, als je lid bent. You get a discount, if you are a member. Bent at the end. The core rule is: als" introduces a subclause, and the verb in that subclause goes to the end.

als means both "if" and "when"

Here is an important nuance about als. In Dutch, als covers two meanings that English separates into two different words: if and when. Both meanings use exactly the same grammar — verb at the end — so you do not need to do anything differently. The context tells you which meaning applies. "Als je hard werkt, slaag je. If you work hard, you succeed. This is a condition — something that may or may not happen. Als ik in Amsterdam ben, bezoek ik het Rijksmuseum. When I am in Amsterdam, I always visit the Rijksmuseum. This is a recurring time situation — whenever this is true, this happens. In practice, the boundary between if and when is often blurry. Ze zet muziek op, als ze studeert. She puts music on when she studies — this is both habitual and conditional. Als ze moe is, gaat ze vroeg naar bed." Whenever she is tired, she goes to bed early. The grammar is the same. Learn the rule once, use it for both meanings.

als vs. toen — a key contrast

You learned "toen in Lesson four. Let us now contrast it clearly with als, because this is a common source of confusion. Als means if or when and it is used for recurring situations and conditional situations — things that happen every time a certain condition is met, or things that might happen in the future. Toen means when in the past, for a single, completed event or period. Als hij vrij heeft, gaat hij fietsen. Whenever he has a day off, he goes cycling — this happens every time. Toen hij student was, woonde hij in Leiden. When he was a student, he lived in Leiden — this was one specific period in the past. Als ze in Parijs is, spreekt ze Frans. Whenever she is in Paris, she speaks French — recurring. Toen ze klein was, woonde ze in Brussel. When she was young, she lived in Brussels — one past period. The rule: use als for recurring and conditional situations, and use toen" only for a single event or period in the past.

The als-clause often comes first

One more pattern to notice. Als-clauses very often come at the START of the sentence in Dutch — before the main clause. In fact, when expressing a condition, Dutch speakers frequently put the als-clause first. "Als je het vraagt, helpt ze je. If you ask, she helps you. Notice what happens: the als-clause comes first, then a comma, and then the main clause starts immediately with its verb — helpt in position two. Als hij thuis is, belt hij. When he is home, he calls. Again — comma after the als-clause, then the main clause verb first. This pattern is called bijzin voorop, and we will study the full rule in Lesson six. For now, recognise that it is very natural in Dutch to start a conditional sentence with als", and when you do, the main clause verb comes right after the comma.

indien — the formal "if"

Now let us look at indien — the formal equivalent of als. Indien also means if and it also introduces a subclause with the verb at the end. But there is one important difference from als: indien is only used in formal and written Dutch. You will find it in official letters, contracts, legal documents, and formal written instructions. You will not hear it in everyday conversation. Compare the two: "Kun je komen, als je tijd hebt? That is natural conversation — als. Gelieve contact op te nemen, indien u vragen heeft. Please get in touch, if you have any questions. That is a formal letter — indien. Three more formal examples: De vergoeding wordt uitbetaald, indien u het formulier invult. — a letter about payment. Het product wordt vervangen, indien het defect is. — a product warranty. De korting is geldig, indien u voor 1 juni betaalt. — a contract clause. Important note: indien can only be used for conditions — never for time. Als covers both if and when, but indien is condition only. And since als works in almost all contexts, you do not need to produce indien yourself. Recognise it when you read it, and use als" when you write.

The full picture — four conditional words

Let us now see the complete picture of conditional conjunctions in Dutch. There are four: als, indien, mits, and tenzij. Als is the everyday word for if and when. You use it productively in all your Dutch. Indien is the formal written equivalent of als — condition only, recognition level. Mits means provided that — it is also formal and written. The difference from indien is subtle: mits expresses a necessary pre-condition. Something is allowed or possible only IF a specific requirement is fully met. "Je mag de auto lenen, mits je voorzichtig rijdt. You may borrow the car, provided that you drive carefully. That is a condition that must be satisfied. You will see mits in terms and conditions, regulations, and formal agreements. You do not need to produce it — recognise it when you see it. And tenzij — you learned this in Lesson four. Tenzij means unless, which is the NEGATIVE conditional. The main clause happens under all circumstances except the one introduced by tenzij". All four of these words introduce a subclause, which means all four put the verb at the end. One rule — four words.

Key Takeaways

Let us review. The most important word in this lesson is als. Als means both if and when in Dutch — condition and recurring time. It introduces a subclause, so the verb goes to the end. Als is your productive word — the one you use in your own Dutch, in all registers and all situations. Indien means if in formal written Dutch — condition only, never time. You will see it in letters, contracts, and official documents. Recognise it — use als when you write. Mits means provided that — a formal word expressing a necessary pre-condition. Recognise it in regulations and formal agreements. Tenzij you already know from Lesson four — unless, the negative conditional. All four words introduce a subclause, and all four put the verb at the end. One critical contrast to remember: als covers both if and when, but indien is condition only — never time. And remember the contrast with "toen: use als for recurring and conditional situations, and use toen" only for a single completed event in the past. In Lesson six, we will return to the pattern of subclause first and learn the full inversie rule.

Practice What You Learned

Reading about grammar is step one — using it is what makes it stick. In My Dutch Journal Academy you can watch the full video of this lesson, do interactive exercises that check your answers instantly, and practise all the vocabulary from the B1 course.