Evaluative Adjectives (te + infinitive)
To express that a noun is easy, difficult, or impossible to do, Dutch uses a structure very similar to English. You combine an evaluative adjective (like makkelijk, moeilijk, or lastig) with te and an infinitive.
| This dialect is difficult to understand. | Dit dialect is moeilijk te verstaan. |
| The stress on that vowel is tricky to hear. | De klemtoon op die klinker is lastig te horen. |
| Your mother tongue and that dialect are easy to learn. | Jouw moedertaal en dat dialect zijn makkelijk te leren. |
Separable Verbs with te
When you use a separable verb in this construction, te sits right between the prefix and the verb root. This splits the verb into three separate words (prefix + te + infinitive).
| These vowels are almost impossible to pronounce. | Deze klinkers zijn bijna onmogelijk uit te spreken. |
| Is that word easy to look up? | Is dat woord makkelijk op te zoeken? |
| This grammar is difficult to explain. | Deze grammatica is moeilijk uit te leggen. |
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