Dutch infinitive (verbs with and without 'te')

Lesson outline

1.What is the infinitive in Dutch?
2.Infinitive verbs with ‘te’
3.Infinitive verbs without ‘te’
4.Other categories of infinitives without 'te'
4.1.Transitive verbs and the bare infinitive
4.2.'Zijn' + 'aan het' + infinitive
5.Other uses of the Dutch infinitive
6.Exercises
6.1.Exercise to practice Dutch infinitive (with 'te')
6.2.Exercise to practice Dutch infinitive (without 'te')

What is the infinitive in Dutch?

The infinitive in Dutch is the not conjugated verb in the present. Most Dutch infinitives end in '-en', such as 'lopen' (to walk), 'werken' (to work), 'eten' (to eat). There are some exceptions that end in '-n', for example:

Slaan (to hit)
Gaan (to go)
Staan (to stand)
Zijn (to be)

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Infinitive verbs with ‘te’

The table below shows you the situations where 'te + infinitive' is used.

Situation	Example	Translation
1. The verbs 'lopen', 'staan', 'zitten','liggen' and 'hangen' are used to describe another action in combination with the 'te' + infinitive construction.	Hij loopt al de hele dag te klagen. Zij staat al een kwartier te wachten.	He has been complaining all day. She has been waiting 15 minutes.
2. When the adjective indirectly says something about the infinitive 'te + infinitive' is used.	Zij vindt het leuk om te spelen. Ik vind het leuk om te lezen.	She likes to play. I like to read.
3. The construction 'te' + infinitive is used to say that something is possible.	Het is te lopen. Dat is te doen.	It is walkable. That is doable.
4. 'Te' in combination with an infinitive is used in subclauses.	Kim denkt het antwoord op de vraag te weten Hij blijkt geen vriendin te hebben.	Kim thinks she knows the answer to the question. He seems to have no girlfriend.
5. The infinitive with 'te' is used after prepositions.	Hij stond voor het raam te kijken naar de regen. Hij vergat achter de deur te kijken.	He was standing at the window, looking at the rain. He forgot to look behind the door.

Infinitive verbs without ‘te’

The table below shows the situations in which infinitive verbs without 'te' are used.

Situation	Example	Translation
1. You want to describe how an action (infinitive) is carried out.	Ik moet lopen naar school. Jullie mogen dat niet horen.	I should walk to school. You are not allowed to hear that.
2. The infinitive without 'te' is used when there is a transitive verb in the sentence.	Ik zag hem voetbal spelen. Ik hoor hem zingen.	I saw him playing soccer. I can hear him sing.
3. You want to describe a continuous action with 'zijn' + 'aan het' + infinitive.	Hij is eten aan het koken. Zij zijn aan het leren.	He is cooking dinner. They are studying.
4. The modal verb is used to describe the action (infinitive) that is being carried out. The action is in this case the infinitive.	Ik wil een boek lezen. Ik kan niet koken.	I want to read a book. I can not cook.

Other categories of infinitives without 'te'

1) Transitive verbs and the bare infinitive

The transitive verbs describe the recognition of someone else performing an action (infinitive).

Example:

Zij hoort hem praten.
Hij zag haar rennen.

2) 'Zijn' + 'aan het' + infinitive

This rule is used to describe a continuous action (infinitive). The verb 'zijn' has to be conjugated, followed by 'aan het'. The infinitive is normally at the end of the sentence.