Sentence connectors in Dutch function as conjunctive adverbs — they link two independent sentences or clauses but, unlike conjunctions, they do not grammatically subordinate one to the other. Key connectors: echter (however), bovendien (moreover), desondanks (nevertheless), daarom (therefore), dus (so), toch (yet or still), namelijk (namely or you see), aldus (thus). Most trigger inversion when they start a sentence: Echter wist hij het antwoord niet, or positioned inside the clause: Het antwoord wist hij echter niet.
Temporal connectors establish sequence: eerst (first), dan or daarna (then or afterwards), ten slotte or uiteindelijk (finally), intussen (meanwhile), vervolgens (next or subsequently), ondertussen (in the meantime). These are particularly useful in narratives and procedural texts. Vervolgens and daarop are more formal; dan and daarna are common in speech. Placing temporal connectors at the start of a sentence triggers inversion: Vervolgens belde hij de dokter.
Contrast and concession connectors include: maar (but), echter (however), toch (still or yet), hoewel (although — subordinating), al (although — often paired with toch: al is hij moe, toch gaat hij). Cause-and-effect: want (because — coordinating), omdat (because — subordinating), zodat (so that), daardoor (as a result), waardoor (whereby). Building a personal toolkit of fifteen to twenty well-chosen connectors and practising them in writing accelerates cohesion in Dutch output.