Active tasks (hebben te)

Having Tasks to Do

To express that you have a task or errand to complete, use hebben (to have) combined with te and an infinitive verb.

This structure works just like the English "have [something] to [do]". The conjugated verb hebben takes the normal verb position, the task or object goes in the middle, and te + infinitive is placed at the end of the clause.

We still have a lot of work to do.
We hebben nog veel werk te doen.
In the morning I have many urgent emails to answer.
's Morgens heb ik veel urgente e-mails te beantwoorden.

You can also use this structure for things you have to share with someone:

We have a lot to tell each other.
We hebben elkaar veel te vertellen.

Separable Verbs and Errands

When discussing a heavy workload, you will often use separable verbs to describe getting things done.

If the infinitive is a separable verb, te sits directly between the prefix and the base verb. This is written as three separate words.

to handle / to deal with
afhandelen
I am a bit tired, but I still have a priority to deal with.
Ik ben een beetje moe, maar ik heb nog een prioriteit af te handelen.
We have the first document to go through.
We hebben het eerste document door te nemen.
She has an important meeting to prepare.
Zij heeft een belangrijke bespreking voor te bereiden.

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