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### The unexpected twist with *om vervolgens te*

In English, when an action is followed by a contradictory, disappointing, or unexpected result, we often use the phrase "only to" (as in, "I went to the store, only to find it closed"). 

In Dutch, you can create this narrative twist by combining the standard **om ... te** (in order to) structure with **vervolgens** (subsequently).

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Notice how the first half of the sentence sets up an expectation, while the clause starting with **om vervolgens** introduces the contradiction. The clause ends with **te** and an infinitive.

### Giving in to temptation

This structure is perfect for describing the all-too-familiar cycle of impulse buying. First, you might try to resist (**weerstaan**) a temptation, but then you yield (**zwichten**) to it.

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### Separable verbs in the sequence

Just like in standard **om ... te** constructions, if the verb in your unexpected sequence is a separable verb, the **te** sits right in the middle, between the separable prefix and the verb root. For example, with *aantrekken* (to put on) you write *aan te trekken*, and with *tegenvallen* (to disappoint) you write *tegen te vallen*.

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Unexpected sequence (om vervolgens te)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

determiner/pronoun

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular pronouns and 'to be' (ik ben, hij is)

The formal 'you' (u bent)

Definite articles (de, het)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (wij zijn)

The verb 'to have' (hebben)

Basic word order

Numbers 1 to 10 (een, twee, drie)

Verb stems and the 'I' form (ik werk)

Long vowels in verb stems (maken, ik maak)

Short vowels in verb stems (zitten, ik zit)

Present tense singular (-t)

Present tense plural (-en)

Yes/no questions

Question words (wie, wat, waar)

Noun negation (geen)

Plural nouns (-en)

Plural nouns (-s)

Diminutives (-je)

Adjective modifiers (heel, erg, te)

Verb negation (niet)

Singular possessives (mijn, jouw, zijn, haar)

Plural and formal possessives (ons/onze, jullie, hun, uw)

This and these (deze, dit)

That and those (die, dat)

Asking which (welke, welk)

Numbers 11 to 20 (elf, twaalf, dertien...)

Tens and compound numbers (dertig, veertig...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (eerste, tweede...)

Telling time: hours and half hours (uur, half)

Telling time: quarters (kwart over, kwart voor)

Question words (hoeveel, waarom)

Irregular verbs (doen, gaan, staan, zien, komen)

Adjective endings (+e)

Adjectives with 'het' words

Prepositions of place (uit, bij)

Subject-verb inversion

Time before place

Modal verbs (willen, kunnen)

Modal verbs (moeten, mogen)

The verb bracket

Separable prefix verbs

The imperative mood (kom, luister)

Singular object pronouns (mij, jou, hem, haar)

Plural and formal object pronouns (ons, jullie, hen, u)

Reflexive verbs and pronouns (zich, me, je)

Position of negation (niet)

The present perfect tense with regular verbs (hebben gewerkt)

The present perfect tense with motion verbs (zijn gegaan)

Irregular past participles (gezien, gedaan)

The present continuous (zijn aan het)

There is / there are (er is, er zijn)

Unstressed there (er)

And, but, or (en, maar, of)

Because (want)

Months of the year

Prepositions of time (om, van ... tot)

Greetings and politeness

Conversational glue

Prepositions with days (op)

Prepositions with seasons (in)

Genitive of time ('s morgens, 's nachts)

Adverbs of frequency (altijd, vaak)

The future tense (gaan)

The future tense (zullen)

Separable verbs with auxiliary verbs

Apostrophe plurals ('-s)

Irregular plurals (-eren)

Complex diminutives (-pje, -etje, -kje)

Possessive 's (Jan's, vaders)

Indefinite pronouns (iets, niemand, alles)

Indefinite subject pronoun (je)

Reciprocal pronoun (elkaar)

Comparative adjectives (-er dan)

Comparatives with spelling change (-der)

Superlative adjectives (-st)

Irregular comparisons (beter, meer, minder)

Expressing preference (graag, liever, het liefst)

Equality comparisons (even ... als)

Fixed prepositions

That clauses (dat)

Because clauses (omdat)

If and when clauses (als)

Inversion after clauses

Separable verbs in clauses

Negation in clauses (niet)

Past tense of to be (was / waren)

Past tense of to have (had / hadden)

Question	Answer
impulsive	impulsief
the sale (clearance)	de uitverkoop
She impulsively ordered clothes in the sale, only to never put them on.	Zij bestelde impulsief kleren in de uitverkoop, om ze vervolgens nooit aan te trekken.
the temptation	de verleiding
to resist	weerstaan
I cannot resist the temptation of the sale.	Ik kan de verleiding van de uitverkoop niet weerstaan.
He tries to resist the temptation, only to buy everything anyway.	Hij probeert de verleiding te weerstaan, om vervolgens toch alles te kopen.
to yield	zwichten
Apparently one in three consumers yields to impulsive purchases.	Blijkbaar zwicht één op de drie consumenten voor impulsieve aankopen.
the bad buy	de miskoop
He yielded to the trend, only to discover a bad buy.	Hij zwichtte voor de trend, om vervolgens een miskoop te ontdekken.
to end up	belanden
Every bad buy ended up in the back of the closet.	Elke miskoop belandde achterin de kast.
unused	ongebruikt
The product ends up in the corner, only to remain unused.	Het product belandt in de hoek, om vervolgens ongebruikt te blijven.
the price tag	het prijskaartje
The bag remains unused, since the price tag is still attached to it.	De tas blijft ongebruikt, aangezien het prijskaartje er nog aan hangt.
to tempt	verleiden
A cheap price tag tempts you, only to disappoint enormously.	Een goedkoop prijskaartje verleidt je, om vervolgens enorm tegen te vallen.
The shopkeeper only has to tempt you, and you impulsively buy everything.	De winkelier hoeft je maar te verleiden, of je koopt impulsief alles.
to give in to	toegeven aan
He gives in to the temptation.	Hij geeft toe aan de verleiding.
We do not give in to the impulsive bad buy.	Wij geven niet toe aan de impulsieve miskoop.

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