Multiple Infinitives with "om ... te"
To express purpose ("in order to"), Dutch uses om at the beginning of the clause and te right before the infinitive at the end.
When your purpose clause has two infinitives (such as a helper verb and a main verb), te is placed immediately before the helper verb. The main verb follows at the very end of the sentence.
| I need peace to be able to work. | Ik heb rust nodig om te kunnen werken. |
If the clause contains an object, it sits between om and the verb cluster.
| He seeks peace to be able to maintain concentration. | Hij zoekt rust om de concentratie te kunnen behouden. |
This pattern applies to any helper verb, including blijven (to keep doing) and mogen (to be allowed to).
| If you lack concentration, it is difficult to keep working. | Indien je de concentratie mist, is het moeilijk om te blijven werken. |
| We need structure to be allowed to begin. | We hebben structuur nodig om te mogen beginnen. |
It also works with the negative helper verb hoeven ("do not have to"). Notice how niet is placed before the te cluster.
| We use the method in order to not have to fail. | We gebruiken de methode om niet te hoeven falen. |
You can also use this structure with the causative verb laten ("to let" or "to make" something happen).
| He makes an attempt to make it disappear. | Hij doet een poging om het te laten verdwijnen. |
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