te-Infinitive Constructions
te-Infinitive Constructions
Beyond om ... te, Dutch has a family of prepositions that take te-infinitives: zonder te ('without'), door te ('by'), in plaats van te ('instead of'). Each one replaces an English '-ing' form, so the two languages solve the same problem with opposite machinery.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
zonder te and door te replace English '-ing' after a preposition
Hij ging weg zonder iets te zeggen. Je leert door veel te lezen.
He left without saying anything. You learn by reading a lot.
English follows a preposition with a gerund: 'without saying', 'by reading'. Dutch cannot put a verb form directly after a preposition, so it uses the te-infinitive frame instead, with the object slotted in between: zonder iets te zeggen, door veel te lezen. The frame is the same one you know from om ... te, just opened by a different preposition.
in plaats van te and na te complete the set
In plaats van te wachten, ben ik gaan lopen. Na gegeten te hebben, gingen we weg.
Instead of waiting, I started walking. After eating, we left.
in plaats van te ('instead of') works like the others. na ... te is more formal and slightly awkward, since it requires a perfect infinitive: na gegeten te hebben. In everyday speech Dutch avoids it by using a full clause with nadat instead — Nadat we gegeten hadden, gingen we weg — which is a useful escape route whenever the te-construction starts to feel top-heavy.
Adjective + te + infinitive expresses capacity and judgment
Dat is moeilijk te begrijpen. Het is niet te doen.
That's hard to understand. It can't be done.
A bare te-infinitive after an adjective gives a passive meaning: moeilijk te begrijpen ('hard to understand', i.e. hard to be understood). With niet, the pattern expresses impossibility — Het is niet te doen means 'it is not doable'. English uses the same active infinitive with a passive sense ('hard to understand'), so the structures happen to align here, but the negative version has no neat English counterpart.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- without (doing)
- English
- by (doing)
- English
- instead of
- English
- before (formal)
- English
- to understand
- English
- It can't be done
- English
- hard to find
- English
- to leave
- English
- to prevent
- English
- willing
Finished this lesson?