Verbs Taking Om Te

Level 3

The om te construction is the Dutch equivalent of 'to' or 'in order to' in English. It consists of the word om, followed by objects or modifiers, and ends with te + the infinitive verb.

How It Works

The om te construction is a versatile part of Dutch sentence structure. It is used in these primary ways:

1. Purpose: To say 'in order to'. Here, om is mandatory.
Ik sport om gezond te blijven.

2. Verb Complements: Verbs like beloven (to promise), vragen (to ask), weigeren (to refuse), and besluiten (to decide) often use om. Note that pseudo-copular verbs like schijnen, lijken, and blijken never take om; they only take te. Similarly, hoeven (usually used with niet) takes te but never om.

3. Nouns and Adjectives: Used after nouns expressing desire or time (tijd om, zin om) and after adjectives describing an experience (leuk om).

4. Degree and Sufficiency: Mandatory when using te + adjective (too...) or genoeg (enough).

5. Related Prepositions: The 'om te' structure is part of a broader pattern. Other prepositions like zonder (without), door (by), and in plaats van (instead of) use the exact same bracket construction.

Word Order:
Standard word order requires objects and adverbs to be placed between om and te. For a separable verb, te goes between the prefix and the stem (e.g., op te bellen). In complex sentences, some prepositional phrases may occasionally follow the infinitive.

Examples (6)

  1. De leraar vroeg de leerlingen om stil te zijn.

    The teacher asked the students to be quiet.

    Word by Word: The teacher asked the students for quiet to be.

    Here, 'om' links the verb 'vragen' to the action being requested.

  2. Zij weigert om haar excuses aan te bieden.

    She refuses to offer her apologies.

    Word by Word: She refuses for her apologies at to offer.

    Note how 'te' is placed inside the separable verb 'aanbieden' (aan + te + bieden).

  3. Ik heb geen tijd om te wachten.

    I have no time to wait.

    Word by Word: I have no time for to wait.

    Nouns like 'tijd' (time), 'zin' (desire), or 'plan' (plan) often take an 'om te' construction.

  4. Hij is te moe om te werken.

    He is too tired to work.

    Word by Word: He is too tired for to work.

    When using te + adjective, 'om' is required to link the result.

  5. Ben je oud genoeg om alleen te reizen?

    Are you old enough to travel alone?

    Word by Word: Are you old enough for alone to travel?

    The word genoeg (enough) also triggers the 'om te' construction.

  6. Ik bel je om een afspraak te maken.

    I am calling you (in order) to make an appointment.

    Word by Word: I call you for an appointment to make.

    This is a classic purpose clause where 'om' is mandatory.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'om' with the verb 'hoeven'.

    Je hoeft niet om te komen.
    Je hoeft niet te komen.

    The verb hoeven (to need/have to) is a major exception. While it requires 'te', it never takes 'om'.

  • Incorrect word order (placing the object after the infinitive).

    Ik ben hier om te kopen brood.
    Ik ben hier om brood te kopen.

    In an 'om te' clause, the object ('brood') must come before 'te' + infinitive.

  • Omitting 'om' in a purpose clause.

    Ik ga naar de keuken te koken.
    Ik ga naar de keuken om te koken.

    Unlike English, which can use a simple 'to', Dutch requires 'om' when expressing the purpose of an action ('in order to').

How It Connects

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

Verbs Taking Om TeLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn verbs that take 'om te', you first need to understand the basic 'te + infinitive' structure and the general 'om te' construction used for purpose. You also need to be comfortable conjugating the main verbs that govern these clauses.

Words in This Pattern

om teomte