Fine-Grained Conditionals
Fine-Grained Conditionals
Beyond als, Dutch has a graded set of conditionals: indien for formal register, mocht for something unlikely but possible, and voor het geval dat for precautions. Each carries information about how probable you think the condition is.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
mocht + inversion for a remote possibility
Mocht u vragen hebben, neem dan contact op.
Should you have any questions, please get in touch.
mocht is the past subjunctive of mogen and opens a clause with the verb immediately after it, no conjunction required — exactly like English 'should you have'. It signals that the condition is possible but not expected, which makes it the standard polite formula for offering help. The main clause usually begins with dan.
indien is the formal counterpart of als
Indien de betaling uitblijft, wordt de overeenkomst ontbonden.
If payment is not received, the agreement will be dissolved.
indien means 'if' and is confined to written and official register — contracts, regulations, formal letters. Unlike als, it never means 'when', so it is unambiguous, which is precisely why legal text prefers it. It behaves as an ordinary subordinating conjunction with the verb at the end.
voor het geval dat and tenzij for precautions and exceptions
Neem een paraplu mee, voor het geval dat het regent. / Tenzij het regent, gaan we lopen.
Take an umbrella in case it rains. / Unless it rains, we'll walk.
voor het geval dat introduces a precaution — something you prepare for without expecting it. tenzij carries its own negation ('unless'), so adding niet would reverse the meaning by accident. Alongside them, stel dat ('suppose that') opens a hypothetical for discussion, and op voorwaarde dat states a condition that must be met.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- should (it happen that)
- English
- if (formal)
- English
- in case
- English
- unless
- English
- on condition that
- English
- suppose that
- English
- to fail to materialize
- English
- the agreement
- English
- to dissolve
- English
- to get in touch
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