Causative verbs (laten, doen)

Delegating and allowing: laten

When you cause someone or something else to perform an action, you use a causative verb combined with a bare infinitive (an infinitive without te). The most common causative verb is laten.

Use laten when you give permission ("to let") or when you delegate a task ("to have someone do something"). The conjugated form of laten takes the normal verb position, while the bare infinitive goes to the end of the clause.

In robotics, we let the computer program itself.
In de robotica laten we de computer zichzelf programmeren.
He lets the robot clean the laboratory.
Hij laat de robot het laboratorium schoonmaken.
Did she let the algorithm process the data?
Liet ze het algoritme de gegevens verwerken?

Involuntary reactions: doen

The verb doen (normally "to do") is also used as a causative verb. Use doen when a subject causes an involuntary reaction in someone, such as an emotional response or a sudden realization. It usually translates to "makes" in English (e.g., "makes me think" or "makes me shudder").

That intelligent robot made us shudder.
Die intelligente robot deed ons huiveren.
Something smart always makes me think of my own memory.
Iets slims doet me altijd aan mijn eigen geheugen denken.
During the experiment, the algorithm made us realize something weird.
Tijdens het experiment deed het algoritme ons iets raars beseffen.

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