Te + Infinitive in Dutch

In Brief

Dutch uses te + infinitive after verbs such as proberen, beloven, and vergeten, and after expressions such as van plan zijn: Ik probeer Nederlands te leren. With a separable verb, te goes between the prefix and the rest of the verb: opbellen becomes op te bellen. Do not copy English “to” automatically, because Dutch modal verbs use a bare infinitive: Ik wil gaan, not Ik wil te gaan.

Overview

An infinitive is the basic dictionary form of a verb, such as leren (to learn), komen (to come), or zijn (to be). Dutch often places te before this form when one verb or expression introduces a second action. This allows you to talk about trying, beginning, promising, forgetting, planning, or being able to do something.

The construction becomes especially useful around B1 because it lets you build longer, more precise sentences. Instead of simply saying Ik leer Nederlands, you can say Ik probeer elke dag Nederlands te leren or Ik ben van plan volgend jaar een cursus te volgen.

For an English-speaking learner, Dutch te looks reassuringly like English “to,” but the two systems do not match word for word. English has “I want to leave,” while Dutch has Ik wil vertrekken without te. It is therefore best to learn complete patterns—proberen te, beloven te, van plan zijn te—rather than translating “to” in isolation.

How It Works

The basic sentence pattern

A main clause normally has one finite verb (the verb marked for person or tense) near the beginning. The te + infinitive group generally comes later.

Position	Typical content	Example
1	Subject	Ik
2	Finite verb	probeer
Middle	Object, time, or manner	elke dag Nederlands
End	te + infinitive	te oefenen

The result is Ik probeer elke dag Nederlands te oefenen (“I try to practise Dutch every day”). Only the first verb agrees with the subject: ik probeer, hij probeert, wij proberen. The second verb remains an infinitive.

The same end position is common in questions and subordinate clauses (clauses that depend on another clause):

• Probeer je elke dag Nederlands te oefenen? — Do you try to practise Dutch every day?
• Omdat ik elke dag Nederlands probeer te oefenen, ga ik snel vooruit. — Because I try to practise Dutch every day, I am progressing quickly.

In the subordinate clause, the finite verb probeer moves toward the end, but te oefenen remains a unit after it.

Common verbs that take te

The following verbs frequently introduce te + infinitive. Their meanings are useful guides, but the safest approach is still to memorise the construction with each verb.

Verb	Meaning	Example
proberen te	to try to	Ik probeer rustig te blijven.
beginnen te	to begin to	Het begint te sneeuwen.
vergeten te	to forget to	Vergeet niet te reserveren.
beloven te	to promise to	Zij belooft morgen te komen.
hopen te	to hope to	We hopen je snel te zien.
weigeren te	to refuse to	Hij weigert te tekenen.
besluiten te	to decide to	Ze besluiten thuis te blijven.
lijken te	to seem to	Dit lijkt goed te werken.
blijken te	to turn out to	De winkel blijkt gesloten te zijn.

Some verbs can also be used with a noun instead of another action: Ik beloof hulp (“I promise help”) versus Ik beloof te helpen (“I promise to help”). The presence of a second action is what creates the infinitive construction.

Expressions followed by te

A whole expression—not just one verb—can require te + infinitive.

Expression	Meaning	Example
van plan zijn te	to plan / intend to	Wij zijn van plan te verhuizen.
in staat zijn te	to be capable of	Zij is in staat het probleem op te lossen.
bereid zijn te	to be willing to	Ik ben bereid langer te wachten.
bang zijn te	to be afraid to	Hij is bang een fout te maken.
verplicht zijn te	to be required to	U bent verplicht zich te melden.
moeilijk/makkelijk zijn te	to be difficult/easy to	De tekst is moeilijk te begrijpen.

With in staat zijn and similar formal expressions, the object may come before the infinitive group: het probleem op te lossen. English usually puts the object after “solve,” but Dutch end-of-clause verb order makes this arrangement natural.

Separable verbs: te goes in the middle

A separable verb has a prefix that can detach, such as opbellen (“to call”), formed from op + bellen. In a te + infinitive, insert te between the separable prefix and the verb stem.

Infinitive	Te-form	Example
opbellen	op te bellen	Ik vergeet haar op te bellen.
meebrengen	mee te brengen	Hij belooft koffie mee te brengen.
aankomen	aan te komen	We hopen vroeg aan te komen.
uitnodigen	uit te nodigen	Ze besluit haar buren uit te nodigen.
afmaken	af te maken	Probeer het werk vandaag af te maken.

This spelling reflects the verb’s structure. Compare the ordinary main clause Ik bel haar op with the infinitive Ik probeer haar op te bellen.

Do not split verbs whose initial syllable is not a separable prefix. With inseparable verbs, te comes before the complete infinitive: te begrijpen, te bezoeken, te vertellen. Stress and dictionary information often help distinguish the two groups, so learn unfamiliar verbs with an example sentence.

When Dutch does not use te

Several very common verbs take a bare infinitive—an infinitive without te.

Type	Verbs	Example
Modal verbs	kunnen, moeten, mogen, willen, zullen	Ik wil morgen vertrekken.
Perception	zien, horen, voelen	Ik hoor iemand zingen.
Causing or allowing	laten	Laat hem uitpraten.
Movement or continuation in common combinations	gaan, komen, blijven	We gaan boodschappen doen.

This is a major contrast with English. English says “She wants to come,” but Dutch says Zij wil komen. Conversely, both languages use a marker in Zij probeert te komen / “She tries to come.” Always let the Dutch first verb determine the pattern.

Om te + infinitive: purpose

Om te + infinitive commonly explains a purpose: why someone does something. Here om introduces the purpose and te marks the infinitive.

• Ik ga vroeg naar bed om morgen fit te zijn. — I go to bed early in order to be fit tomorrow.
• Ze spaart geld om een huis te kopen. — She saves money to buy a house.

Do not add om to every te-construction. After proberen, beloven, and vergeten, the normal pattern is simply te: Ik probeer te slapen. In some constructions Dutch permits om before an infinitive, especially in everyday language, but it is not the basic marker after these verbs and can change the sentence’s structure. Keep purpose clauses and verb-controlled te separate while learning the core rule.

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Ik probeer Nederlands te leren.	I try to learn Dutch.	Basic proberen te pattern
Hij belooft op tijd te komen.	He promises to come on time.	Time phrase before the infinitive
Zij vergeet altijd op te bellen.	She always forgets to call.	Separable opbellen
Wij zijn van plan te verhuizen.	We plan to move.	Fixed expression
Het begint buiten te regenen.	It is beginning to rain outside.	beginnen te
Vergeet niet de deur op slot te doen.	Don’t forget to lock the door.	Separable expression op slot doen
De klant weigert het formulier te ondertekenen.	The customer refuses to sign the form.	Object before the final infinitive
Ik hoop je volgende week weer te zien.	I hope to see you again next week.	Pronoun object before te zien
Dit apparaat lijkt goed te werken.	This device seems to work well.	Assessment with lijken te
Bent u bereid de voorwaarden te accepteren?	Are you willing to accept the terms?	Formal register
Ze probeert haar moeder terug te bellen.	She is trying to call her mother back.	Separable terugbellen
Omdat hij vroeg probeert te vertrekken, neemt hij nu afscheid.	Because he is trying to leave early, he is saying goodbye now.	Subordinate-clause verb order
We nemen de trein om files te vermijden.	We take the train to avoid traffic jams.	Purpose with om te
Deze handleiding is makkelijk te begrijpen.	This manual is easy to understand.	Adjective + te

Common Mistakes

Adding te after a modal verb

• Wrong: Ik wil te vertrekken.
• Right: Ik wil vertrekken.
• Why: Willen is a modal verb and takes a bare infinitive. The same basic rule applies to kunnen, moeten, mogen, and zullen.

Omitting te after a verb that requires it

• Wrong: Hij probeert vroeg komen.
• Right: Hij probeert vroeg te komen.
• Why: Learn proberen te as one pattern. Dutch cannot omit te here just because the meaning is clear.

Keeping a separable verb together

• Wrong: Zij vergeet te opbellen.
• Right: Zij vergeet op te bellen.
• Why: With a separable verb, te stands between the prefix and the rest of the verb.

Splitting an inseparable verb

• Wrong: Ik probeer de tekst be te grijpen.
• Right: Ik probeer de tekst te begrijpen.
• Why: Begrijpen is not separable. Put te before the complete infinitive.

Copying English word order

• Awkward/wrong: Ik probeer te leren Nederlands.
• Right: Ik probeer Nederlands te leren.
• Why: In a neutral Dutch clause, the object usually comes before the final infinitive group. English places “Dutch” after “learn,” but Dutch normally closes the clause with te leren.

Using om as the default infinitive marker

• Wrong as the basic pattern: Hij belooft om morgen te komen.
• Preferred core pattern: Hij belooft morgen te komen.
• Why: Om te clearly marks purpose, while beloven directly selects te + infinitive. You may hear broader colloquial use of om, but omitting it here is the safest neutral choice.

Usage Notes

Dutch speakers use te + infinitive in both conversation and writing. Some selecting verbs, such as proberen, hopen, and vergeten, are everyday words. Expressions such as in staat zijn te, bereid zijn te, and verplicht zijn te occur more often in formal speech, instructions, workplace communication, and official documents.

Dutch often places a substantial amount of information before the infinitive at the end. A sentence such as We proberen het probleem samen zo snel mogelijk op te lossen may feel “back-loaded” to an English speaker because the key action op te lossen arrives last. Do not move it earlier merely to imitate English. Listen for the finite verb first and hold the infinitive group until the end.

In spoken Dutch, proberen te can be heard as proberen om te, and beginnen te may alternate with beginnen met followed by a noun: We beginnen te koken versus We beginnen met het eten. Such alternatives do not change the reliable B1 rule: use te in the standard patterns presented above.

The verbs zitten, staan, liggen, and lopen can combine with te + infinitive to describe an activity in progress, often while indicating posture or manner: Hij zit te lezen (“He is sitting reading”), Ze staat te wachten (“She is standing waiting”), and De kinderen lopen te zingen (“The children are walking around singing”). These are common, but they are a special construction rather than examples of “English to.”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Perfect tenses and the infinitive substitute

When a te-construction appears in the perfect tense, Dutch often uses an infinitive substitute (traditionally called infinitivus pro participio): an infinitive appears where you might expect a past participle.

• Ik heb hem proberen te bellen. — I tried to call him.
• Zij heeft vroeger leren zwemmen. — She learned to swim in the past.

With some verbs and in some varieties or sentence types, a participle construction also occurs, such as Ik heb geprobeerd hem te bellen. The choice is not identical for every verb. At B1, focus first on recognising both shapes rather than trying to derive every perfect form from one universal rule.

Te zijn and passive-like meanings

Te zijn can combine with another verb form to locate an event in time or to create formal descriptions:

• Hij lijkt ziek te zijn. — He seems to be ill.
• Ze hoopt voor zes uur klaar te zijn. — She hopes to be ready before six.

The pattern zijn + te + infinitive can also express possibility or necessity, especially in formal language: Dat is moeilijk te bewijzen (“That is difficult to prove”) or De regels zijn strikt na te leven (“The rules are to be observed strictly”). Context tells you whether the meaning is “can be” or “must be.” In everyday speech, speakers often choose a clearer modal construction instead.

Long infinitive groups

More than one infinitive can cluster at the end of a clause:

• Ik hoop morgen vroeg te kunnen vertrekken. — I hope to be able to leave early tomorrow.
• Zij lijkt het probleem te willen oplossen. — She seems to want to solve the problem.

Only the first relationship requires te: hopen te and lijken te. The modal verb then takes its own bare infinitive: kunnen vertrekken, willen oplossen. Analyse the sentence in pairs rather than inserting te before every infinitive.

Practice Tips

1. Learn verb frames, not isolated verbs. Put proberen te, beloven te, vergeten te, and besluiten te on your cards, each with a short sentence. Make a separate list for bare-infinitive verbs such as willen and kunnen.
2. Transform separable verbs aloud. Take five verbs—opbellen, meenemen, aankomen, afmaken, and terugkomen—and say both forms: Ik bel op → Ik probeer op te bellen. This trains placement more effectively than memorising a rule alone.
3. Build sentences from the end. Choose a final group such as het probleem op te lossen, then add a finite verb and subject: Wij proberen het probleem op te lossen. Finally add time or manner: Wij proberen het probleem vandaag samen op te lossen.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Verbs Present — helps you conjugate the first, finite verb while leaving the second verb in the infinitive.