beloven + te + Infinitive

Promise to

Level 4

Use beloven te to express a commitment ('I promise to...') or a future expectation ('It promises to be...').

How It Works

The structure beloven te serves two primary functions in Dutch:

1. Literal Promise: When a person commits to an action. This structure requires the same subject for both verbs. If the subject of the second action is different, you must use a dat-clause (e.g., 'Ik beloof dat hij komt'). While om is optional here, it is frequently used in spoken Dutch.
2. Predictive Expectation: When an event suggests a specific outcome (e.g., 'Het belooft een mooie dag te worden'). In this predictive sense, om should not be used.

Morphology and Spelling:
Beloven is a weak verb. To find the ik-vorm (stem), we remove -en and adjust for spelling: belov- becomes beloof. In the present tense, you add a -t for the second and third person singular: Hij belooft. The past participle is beloofd, as seen in the common expression 'Beloofd is beloofd' (A promise is a promise).

Word Order:
In a main clause, beloven is the conjugated verb in the second position, while the te + infinitive cluster moves to the end. In a subordinate clause, the usual order is that the conjugated form of beloven comes before the te + infinitive (e.g., '...dat hij belooft te komen').

Examples (5)

  1. Ik beloof je morgen te bellen.

    I promise to call you tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I promise you tomorrow to call.

    A literal promise where the subject (Ik) is the one who will perform the action (bellen).

  2. Het belooft een mooie dag te worden.

    It promises to be a beautiful day.

    Word by Word: It promises a beautiful day to become.

    The predictive use of beloven, indicating a likely future outcome.

  3. Zij beloofden om op tijd te komen.

    They promised to arrive on time.

    Word by Word: They promised for on time to come.

    In the literal sense, adding 'om' is common and perfectly acceptable.

  4. De nieuwe film belooft een groot succes te zijn.

    The new movie promises to be a great success.

    Word by Word: The new movie promises a great success to be.

    A predictive use of the pattern, showing that the movie is expected to be successful.

  5. Ik heb beloofd dat ik zou helpen.

    I promised that I would help.

    Word by Word: I have promised that I would help.

    Using 'beloven dat' instead of 'te' to introduce a full subclause.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the present tense 'belooft' with the past participle 'beloofd'.

    Het beloofd een succes te worden.
    Het belooft een succes te worden.

    In the present tense, you use the stem + t (beloof + t). The form 'beloofd' is only for the perfect tense (e.g., 'Ik heb het beloofd'). A helpful idiom to remember the spelling is 'Beloofd is beloofd' (A promise is a promise).

  • Using 'te + infinitive' when you mean that someone else will perform the action.

    Ik beloof dat hij te komen.
    Ik beloof dat hij komt.

    The 'beloven te' structure can only be used if the subject of 'beloven' is the same person performing the second action. If you are promising that someone else will do something, you must use a dat-clause.

  • Incorrect word order in subordinate clauses.

    Ik denk dat hij te komen belooft.
    Ik denk dat hij belooft te komen.

    In a subordinate clause, the conjugated form of 'beloven' normally comes before the 'te + infinitive' part.

How It Connects

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

beloven + te + InfinitiveLevel 4Promise to

Learn This First

To use 'beloven te', you first need to understand the basic 'te + infinitive' structure. You also need to be comfortable with regular verb conjugation for the main verb 'beloven' and understand how Dutch handles verb clusters at the end of sentences.

Words in This Pattern

belovente