Expressing "Too ... to"
In English, we often say something is "too" scary "to" visit alone. Dutch expresses this exact same idea by combining te (too) with the om ... te structure.
The pattern is: te + [adjective] + om + [details] + te + [infinitive].
| This amusement park is too big to see in one day. | Dit pretpark is te groot om in één dag te zien. |
First, you state the limitation using te and an adjective. Then, you use om to introduce the action that is prevented.
| The child is too small to go in the rollercoaster. | Het kind is te klein om in de achtbaan te gaan. |
Just like with basic om ... te clauses, any additional details (like objects or prepositional phrases) are sandwiched between om and te. The infinitive verb is always pushed to the very end of the sentence.
| The haunted house is too scary to visit alone. | Het spookhuis is te eng om alleen te bezoeken. |
| I am too tired to wait in the queue. | Ik ben te moe om in de rij te wachten. |
Describing Amusement Park Rides
You can easily use this structure to describe amusement park rides:
| The Ferris wheel is too high to look down. | Het reuzenrad is te hoog om naar beneden te kijken. |
| This attraction is too slow to be fun. | Deze attractie is te langzaam om leuk te zijn. |
When using a dummy subject like het (it) to describe a general situation, the sentence structure stays exactly the same.
| It is too busy at the entrance to find each other. | Het is te druk bij de ingang om elkaar te vinden. |
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