Subject Raising
Subject Raising involves verbs like schijnen (to seem/reportedly), lijken (to appear), and blijken (to turn out). These verbs take the subject of a following action and 'raise' it to the main sentence position to indicate how certain the information is.
How It Works
Subject Raising is a syntactic process used with a specific set of 'raising verbs'. Unlike Subject Control, where the subject actively performs the main verb (e.g., 'I try to run'), raising verbs describe the status or source of the information without assigning a thematic role to the subject.
1. The Primary Raising Verbs:
- Schijnen: Used for hearsay or reports ('It is said that...').
- Lijken: Used for subjective impressions ('It looks to me like...').
- Blijken: Used for proven facts or results ('It has become clear that...').
- Beginnen: Used to indicate the start of a process ('It starts to...').
- Voorkomen: Used to express how something appears or strikes someone ('It appears to be...').
- Heten: A formal version of schijnen, specifically implying a reputation or a claim made by others.
- Dunken: A formal/archaic verb used to express an opinion or impression ('It seems to me...').
2. Syntactic Structure:
The raising verb is conjugated to match the subject, and the secondary verb appears at the end as a te + infinitive. Even though the subject is grammatically attached to the raising verb, it logically belongs to the infinitive.
3. The 'Weather Verb' Test:
A key way to identify a raising verb is that it can take the dummy subject het when paired with weather verbs: Het schijnt te regenen or Het begint te regenen. Control verbs like 'proberen' (to try) cannot do this because they require a conscious 'doer' (e.g., you cannot say *Het probeert te regenen).
4. Word Order in Subordinate Clauses:
In a subordinate clause, the verb cluster involving a raising verb and a 'te'-infinitive normally has this order: the finite verb comes before the 'te'-infinitive, as in ...dat hij lijkt te slapen. The other order, ...dat hij te slapen lijkt, is rare and formal.
Examples (6)
- Hij schijnt zijn sleutels verloren te hebben.
He reportedly lost his keys.
Word by Word: He seems his keys lost to have.
Here, 'schijnen' indicates hearsay. The speaker didn't see it happen but heard about it.
- De nieuwe maatregelen blijken effectief te zijn.
The new measures turn out to be effective.
Word by Word: The new measures turn-out effective to be.
Using 'blijken' indicates that there is objective proof or a result showing the measures work.
- Zij lijkt erg gelukkig te zijn met haar nieuwe baan.
She appears to be very happy with her new job.
Word by Word: She appears very happy to be with her new job.
Using 'lijkt' suggests a subjective observation based on how she looks or acts.
- Dat komt mij voor onjuist te zijn.
That appears to me to be incorrect.
Word by Word: That comes me for incorrect to be.
'Voorkomen' is a raising verb meaning 'to appear' or 'to seem', often used with a personal pronoun like 'mij'.
- Hij heet de rijkste man van het land te zijn.
He is reputed to be the richest man in the country.
Word by Word: He is-called the richest man of the country to be.
'Heten' implies a reputation or claim made by others, often carrying a hint of doubt about the truth of the claim.
- Het schijnt morgen te gaan regenen.
It seems it is going to rain tomorrow.
Word by Word: It seems tomorrow to go rain.
This demonstrates the 'Weather Verb' test; raising verbs can take the dummy subject 'het', whereas control verbs cannot.
Common Mistakes
Using 'om' with raising verbs.
Hij schijnt om ziek te zijn.Hij schijnt ziek te zijn.Raising verbs like 'schijnen', 'lijken', and 'blijken' never take 'om'. They only take 'te + infinitive'.
Using 'schijnen' (hearsay) for something you see yourself.
Different MeaningHet schijnt dat het gaat regenen.Het lijkt erop dat het gaat regenen.This sentence is correct, but 'schijnen' reports hearsay ('apparently, so I hear'). When you see dark clouds yourself, use 'lijken': Het lijkt erop dat het gaat regenen.
Omitting 'te' before the infinitive.
Zij blijkt ziek zijn.Zij blijkt ziek te zijn.Unlike modal verbs (kunnen, moeten), raising verbs always require 'te' before the infinitive.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Subject raising (raising construction) involves a subject that logically belongs to an embedded clause but functions syntactically as the subject of the main verb (like 'schijnen' or 'lijken'). To learn this, you must first understand how to form 'te + infinitive' clauses and be familiar with the specific verbs that allow this movement.
Related Patterns
- blijken + te + InfinitiveTurn Out to
A raising verb used specifically when something is proven or turns out to be a fact.
Level 4 - lijken + te + InfinitiveAppear to
A raising verb used for subjective impressions and visual appearances.
Level 4 - Subject Control
The counterpart to raising; in control constructions, the subject has a semantic role with the main verb (e.g., 'trying').
Level 6 - te + InfinitiveTo + Infinitive
Raising constructions always utilize the 'te + infinitive' structure for the complement clause.
Level 3 - er (presentatief)Er as a Placeholder Subject
Raising verbs are unique because they can be used with the dummy subject 'er'.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice Subject Raising in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Dutch lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
