zien/horen/voelen + Infinitive
Seeing and Hearing Something Happen
When you see, hear, feel, or smell someone doing something, Dutch uses the structure: Perception Verb + Object + Bare Infinitive. Unlike English, you don't need to choose between '-ing' and the infinitive; the Dutch infinitive covers both.
How It Works
This pattern, often called the 'Object-with-Infinitive', is the standard way to report sensory experiences (zien, horen, voelen, ruiken) or to cause an action (laten) in Dutch.
1. The Bare Infinitive
Unlike most Dutch verbs that require te + infinitive, perception verbs and laten connect directly to the following action. You simply use the dictionary form of the second verb without 'te'. Note that while English often uses the '-ing' form (e.g., 'I see him walking'), Dutch uses the infinitive (Ik zie hem lopen). Do not use the present participle here.
2. Perception and State
While zien (see), horen (hear), voelen (feel), and ruiken (smell) are the primary verbs, vinden (find) can also function this way when describing the state or action in which someone is found (e.g., Ik vond hem in de tuin werken).
3. Active vs. Passive Meaning
Usually, the second infinitive is active (Ik zie hem lopen - I see him walking). However, it can also have a passive sense, especially with laten or if the object cannot perform the action itself (Ik laat mijn haar knippen - I am having my hair cut; Ik zag het huis bouwen - I saw the house being built).
4. The IPP Effect and Auxiliary Choice
In the perfect tense, if one of these verbs is followed by another infinitive, the main verb must stay in the infinitive form instead of becoming a participle. This is known as the double infinitive (IPP). Crucially, you must always use hebben as the auxiliary verb, even if the second verb usually takes zijn (e.g., Ik heb hem zien gaan).
5. Subordinate Clause Word Order
When using the IPP effect in a subordinate clause, the auxiliary verb (heb/heeft) must precede the cluster of infinitives.
Example: ...dat ik hem heb zien lopen.
Examples (6)
- Ik zie de kinderen in de tuin spelen.
I see the children playing in the garden.
Word by Word: I see the children in the garden play.
A standard present tense example where 'spelen' is the bare infinitive describing the action of the children.
- Ik heb hem de straat zien oversteken.
I saw him cross the street.
Word by Word: I have him the street see cross.
This demonstrates the IPP effect: 'zien' remains an infinitive because it is followed by 'oversteken'.
- Ik vond hem in de tuin zitten.
I found him sitting in the garden.
Word by Word: I found him in the garden sit.
The verb 'vinden' (to find) also follows this pattern, describing the state or action in which someone was found.
- Ik zag het huis bouwen.
I saw the house being built.
Word by Word: I saw the house build.
In this construction, the second infinitive can have a passive meaning depending on the context.
- Ik heb hem naar huis zien gaan.
I saw him go home.
Word by Word: I have him to house see go.
Note that we use 'hebben' here, even though 'gaan' normally takes 'zijn' in the perfect tense.
- Het is jammer dat ik hem niet heb zien komen.
It is a pity that I didn't see him coming.
Word by Word: It is pity that I him not have see come.
In a subordinate clause, the auxiliary 'heb' must come before the two infinitives.
Common Mistakes
Adding 'te' before the infinitive.
Ik zie hem te dansen.Ik zie hem dansen.Perception verbs like zien, horen, voelen, and ruiken are part of a small group that never uses 'te' with the following infinitive.
Using 'zijn' as an auxiliary verb in the perfect tense.
Ik ben hem zien gaan.Ik heb hem zien gaan.When using this construction, you must always use 'hebben' as the auxiliary verb, even if the main action (like 'gaan') usually requires 'zijn'.
Incorrect word order in subordinate clauses.
Ik zei dat ik hem zien heb lopen.Ik zei dat ik hem heb zien lopen.In a subordinate clause with the IPP effect, the auxiliary verb (heb/heeft) must be placed before the infinitive cluster.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'zien/horen/voelen + infinitive', you need to be comfortable with the basic Dutch sentence structure where a secondary verb (the infinitive) is placed at the end of the clause. You also need to know that these specific verbs of perception, like modal verbs, do not use 'te' before the infinitive. Finally, since these sentences often describe seeing or hearing *someone* do something, familiarity with object pronouns is essential.
- Verbs That Take a Bare Infinitive
This pattern is a specific application of the bare infinitive rule, where certain verbs do not require 'te' before the following infinitive.
Level 3 - mij/jou/hem/haarObject Pronouns
Perception verb constructions often use an object pronoun to indicate the person being seen or heard performing the action.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Double Infinitive (IPP)
This explains the IPP effect where the perception verb stays an infinitive in the perfect tense.
Level 3 - Modal Verb Construction
Modals also take bare infinitives, similar to perception verbs.
Level 1 - laten + InfinitiveLet/Have Someone Do
The verb 'laten' (to let/have) follows the exact same grammatical structure as perception verbs.
Level 3 - -endPresent Participle (-end)
Learners often confuse the English '-ing' form with the Dutch present participle instead of using the infinitive.
Level 4 - Multiple Verbs at End
Understanding how multiple verbs are ordered at the end of a sentence is vital for this pattern.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice zien/horen/voelen + Infinitive in Bubblegum
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