Reporting commands with "om te"
When you want to report a command, request, or instruction, you can use a main clause with a reporting verb, followed by an infinitive clause. The infinitive clause is usually introduced by om and ends with te followed by the infinitive verb.
| I command you to open the door! | Ik beveel je om de deur te openen! |
| The doctor forbids me to smoke. | De arts verbiedt mij om te roken. |
This structure is used with many verbs that express influence over someone's actions, such as dwingen (to force) or adviseren (to advise).
| He forced the victim to give the money. | Hij dwong het slachtoffer om het geld te geven. |
| My mother advised me to go to bed early. | Mijn moeder adviseerde mij om vroeg naar bed te gaan. |
Using nouns for commands
You can also report instructions using nouns like het bevel (the command) or de opdracht (the instruction/assignment). The om te clause directly follows the noun to explain what the command or instruction was.
| The police gave the order to close the highway. | De politie gaf het bevel om de snelweg af te sluiten. |
| The teacher gave the student the assignment to read the book. | De leraar gaf de student de opdracht om het boek te lezen. |
Separable verbs
Some verbs used to give commands are separable, such as opdragen (to instruct) and aansporen (to urge). When these are conjugated in the main clause, their prefix separates and moves to the end of that clause, right before the om te phrase begins.
| The boss instructs me to clean the kitchen immediately. | De baas draagt mij op om de keuken meteen schoon te maken. |
| The teacher urges the student to study more. | De docent spoort de student aan om meer te studeren. |
Commands without "om"
With some verbs, like eisen (to demand) or vragen (to ask), you will sometimes see the infinitive clause formed with just te and the infinitive, omitting om. Both forms are grammatically correct, though including om is very common in modern Dutch.
| The customer demands to speak to the manager. | De klant eist de manager te spreken. |
| The judge demands him to tell the truth. | De rechter eist van hem om de waarheid te vertellen. |