Questions & Answers about Ik zorg voor de baby.
Why does this sentence use voor when the English translation says "of"?
In Dutch, the verb zorgen (to care) is firmly glued to the preposition voor (for) when you mean "to take care of" or "to look after". You cannot translate the English "of" literally here. When learning verbs like this, it is best to memorize the fixed combination: zorgen voor.
Does zorgen always mean "to take care"?
Not always. The fixed preposition voor is what specifically makes it "to take care of" in this sentence. By itself, zorgen means "to provide" or "to care". Also, watch out for the phrase zich zorgen maken (literally "to make oneself worries"), which is the standard way to say "to worry" in Dutch.
Can I use zorgen voor to say I am taking care of a task or an object?
Yes! You can use zorgen voor for people, like the baby in this sentence, but also for animals (Ik zorg voor de kat) and tasks or things. For example, if you are organizing a party, you could say Ik zorg voor de drankjes (I will take care of the drinks).
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