When a Dutch sentence contains multiple verbs, they gather at the end of the clause in a specific order — a verb cluster. The general rule for subordinate clauses is: auxiliary verb(s) + past participle / infinitive, reading from left to right or right to left depending on the construction. With a modal + infinitive: “…omdat hij wil gaan” (modal before infinitive). With hebben + past participle: “…omdat hij heeft gewerkt” (auxiliary before participle).
When a modal and a perfect tense combine, the double infinitive rule applies: instead of a past participle of the modal, both verbs appear in the infinitive: “…omdat hij heeft willen gaan” or “…omdat hij heeft willen werken.” This double infinitive at the end of a subordinate clause is a distinctively Dutch grammatical feature. In spoken informal Dutch, the order of the verb cluster sometimes varies — both orders are often acceptable — but the written norm follows the patterns above.
Three-verb clusters occur with modals in perfect tenses: “…omdat hij moet hebben gewerkt” (because he must have worked) — modal + perfect auxiliary + past participle. The order can feel daunting at first, but native Dutch speakers process it automatically. For learners, the most practical approach is to read authentic Dutch texts regularly and let the verb cluster patterns become familiar through repeated exposure before trying to produce them actively.