at the End of the Line and the use of te before Infinitives
Verbs other than hebben, zijn and worden can as working verb combine with other verbs, which will then be in the infinitive.
In for foreign students unfortunate complications, most verbs in combinations put 'te' before those infinitive, but about 15 very common verbs don't; and when those 15 verbs in the perfect tense combine with verbs they themselves don't use perfect participles but infinitives.
't Hoeft niet grappig te zijn
2
3
4 |
It doesn't have to be funny |
| 't Moet wel interessant zijn
2 |
But it has to be interesting |
| Ik heb geprobeerd te helpen
2 |
I have tried to help |
| Ik heb leren improviseren
2
3 |
I've learned to improvise |
The 15:
blijven
2
to remain, stay, continue
‑>>
- doen
2
3
to do, make
‑>>
- gaan
to go, going to
‑>>
- helpen
2
to help, assist
‑>>
- horen
2
to hear
‑>>
- komen
to come
‑>>
- kunnen
can, being able to
‑>>
- laten
to let, allow
‑>>
- leren *
to learn and to teach
‑>>
- moeten
2
must, have to
‑>>
- mogen
2
may, be allowed to
‑>>
- voelen
2
to feel
‑>>
- willen
2
to want to, desire
‑>>
- zien
to see
‑>>
- zullen
shall/will
‑>>
| Je hoeft geen 'U' te zeggen
2
3
4
| You don't have to say 'U' (the polite, formal address) |
| Je mag wel 'je' zeggen
2
| It's OK to say 'je' now (the informal address) |
| 't Gaat vannacht regenen.
| It's going to rain tonight |
| 't Blijft de hele week regenen.
2 |
[It will keep raining] It's going to rain all week |
| Net voordat 't begon te regenen
2
3 |
Just before it [started to rain] rained |
| Het heeft de hele dag geregend.
2
3 |
It has been raining all day |
| Ik begin 't te begrijpen
2
|
I'm starting to understand (it) |
| Ik moet in Zwolle overstappen
2
|
I have to change trains in Zwolle |
| Ze mogen wel oppassen
2 |
They should watch out, they'd better be careful |
| Er moet iets veranderen
2 |
Something [has to] gotta change |
| Je kunt er op rekenen
|
You can count (rely, depend) on it |
| 't Kan elk moment gebeuren
2
3
|
It can happen any moment, anytime |
| Hij begon opeens te huilen
2
3
4
|
He suddenly started to cry (weep) |
| Hij komt morgen de kachel maken
|
He'll come by tomorrow to repair the heater, he'll fix the heater tomorrow |
| Ik zag je voorbijkomen
2
3
4
|
I saw you passing by |
| Ze willen ons bang maken
2
3
|
They want to make us afraid, they're trying to scare us |
| Je hoeft niet bang te zijn
2
3 |
You don't have to be afraid, there's no reason to be afraid |
| Hij laat alles vallen
2
3 |
He lets everything slip from his hands, he drops everything (also figuratively) |
| Ik probeer stress te vermijden
2
3
|
I'm trying to avoid stress |
| Ik wil eerst wat eten
2 |
[I want] I need to eat something first |
| Je moet het zelf doen
2
3
|
You have to do it yourself |
| Ik kan het niet voor je doen
2
3
4
5
|
I can't do it for you |
| Ik wil graag Nederlands praten
2
3 |
I really want to talk conversational Dutch |
| Ik denk erover op te houden
2
3 |
I'm thinking about stopping, quitting |
| Ik wil geen risico lopen
2
3
|
I don't want to [walk] take the risk |
| 't Mag nooit meer gebeuren
2
3
| [It may never be allowed to happen again] - We cannot allow it to ever happen again - Never again! |
| Je moet het goed onthouden
2
3 |
You'll have to keep it in mind closely, don't forget it |
| Hij kan erg hard fietsen
2 |
[He can ride a bike very fast] - He is very fast on a bike |
| We moeten nog veel leren
2
3
4
|
We still have a lot to learn |
| Ik hoorde de vogels
2
3
| I heard the birds |
| Ik hoorde de vogels fluiten
2
3
| I heard the birds [whistle] sing |
| Ik heb de vogels gehoord
2
3
| I've heard the birds |
| Ik heb de vogels horen fluiten
2
3
| I've heard the birds sing |
| Ik kon de vogels horen
2
3
| I [could hear] was able to hear the birds |
| Ik hoop de vogels te horen
2
3
| I hope to hear the birds |
| Ik heb de vogels kunnen horen
2
3
4
| I [have been] was able to hear the birds |
| Ik had gehoopt de vogels te horen
2
| I had hoped to hear the birds |
| Ik heb geprobeerd
Nederlands te leren
2
3
|
I have tried to learn Dutch |
| Ik ben vergeten
de huur te betalen
2
3 |
I [have forgotten] forgot to pay the rent |
| ik heb hem nooit horen lachen
2
3
|
I've never heard him laugh |
| 't Had niet mogen gebeuren
2
| [It should not have been allowed to happen] - It shouldn't have happened |
| Ik wil er niks mee te maken
hebben
2
3
|
I don't want to have anything to do with it, I don't want to get involved |
| 'Mee te maken' is a standard phrase that's not going to drop its 'te' ‑>> | |
| Ik zou wel eens willen weten ...
2
|
I really would like to know [sometime] ... |
| 't Had erger kunnen zijn.
2
| It could have been worse. |
| Ik wil niks verloren laten gaan.
2
| [I want nothing to get lost] - I don't want anything to go to waste. |
| Je kunt nog even blijven liggen.
slow |
You can [remain lying down] stay in bed for a little longer. |
| Ik heb moeten leren improviseren
2
| I've had to learn to improvise, learn improvisation |
| Ik heb een paar jaar pianoles gehad ...
|
I have had piano lessons for a [couple of] few years ... |
| ... maar ik had beter
gitaar kunnen leren spelen.
| ... but learning to play the guitar would have [been better] made more sense. |
2
- Je moet 't wel willen
[You really have to want (it)]
- You need a strong desire (for it)
- It's only going to work -or- I'm only going to help you if
you have a strong wish for it ('fire in the belly')
'Hij wil z'n leven beteren'
2
3
does not mean simply
'He wants to improve his life' or 'He wants
to do better' but it specifically means 'he' wants to move his life away from
crime and/or bad behavior towards a more decent, moral attitude
- 3. Subject - Verb - Complement - 4. Adjectives, Adverbs and Nouns
5A. Past Participles and Verb Infinitives at the End of the Line
Gij zult niet stelen
'Thou shalt not steal'