Verbs + om ... te

Verbs Followed by Om Te

Level 3

Verbs like probeer, vergeet and besluit link to a second action with om ... te: Ek probeer om elke dag te lees. (I try to read every day.)

How It Works

1. The pattern. The verb comes first, then om, then any other words, then te and the infinitive:

  • Ek probeer om elke dag te lees. (I try to read every day.)
  • Ons het besluit om 'n hond te kry. (We decided to get a dog.)
  • Hy het belowe om my te help. (He promised to help me.)

2. Common verbs. probeer (try), vergeet (forget), onthou (remember), besluit (decide), hoop (hope), belowe (promise), weier (refuse) and beplan (plan).

3. In the past. The ge- form comes first, and the whole om ... te part follows it: Sy het vergeet om te bel. (She forgot to call.) Do not tuck the om ... te part in front of the ge- form.

4. Om is sometimes left out. In everyday speech you may hear Ek probeer elke dag te lees without om. That is fine, but using om is more common and always correct.

5. Modals are different. Modal verbs such as wil, kan, moet and sal take a bare infinitive with no om and no te: Ek wil lees. (I want to read.)

Tip: with a separable verb, te goes inside it: Ek probeer om vroeg op te staan.

Examples (6)

  1. Ek probeer om elke dag te lees.

    I try to read every day.

    Word by Word: I try for every day to read.

  2. Sy het vergeet om te bel.

    She forgot to call.

    Word by Word: She has forgotten for to call.

    The om ... te part comes after the past form vergeet. It has no ge-, because ver- is unstressed.

  3. Ons het besluit om 'n hond te kry.

    We decided to get a dog.

    Word by Word: We have decided for a dog to get.

  4. Ek hoop om jou gou weer te sien.

    I hope to see you again soon.

    Word by Word: I hope for you soon again to see.

  5. Hy het belowe om my te help.

    He promised to help me.

    Word by Word: He has promised for me to help.

  6. Onthou om vir jou ma 'n kaartjie te stuur.

    Remember to send your mom a card.

    Word by Word: Remember for for your mom a card to send.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting other words after the infinitive, as in English.

    Ek probeer om te lees elke dag.
    Ek probeer om elke dag te lees.

    In Afrikaans the infinitive is the last word of the phrase. Other words go between om and te.

  • Leaving out te.

    Sy het vergeet om bel.
    Sy het vergeet om te bel.

    Om is sometimes dropped in speech, but te must always come right before the infinitive.

  • Using om te after a modal verb.

    Ek wil om te swem.
    Ek wil swem.

    Modal verbs such as wil, kan and moet take a bare infinitive, without om or te.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Verbs + om ... teLevel 3Verbs Followed by Om Te

Learn This First

Some verbs are followed by an om te clause.

Words in This Pattern

om teomteprobeervergeetbesluitbeloweonthou