Breakdown of Jullie moeten proberen dat doel te behalen.
jullie
you (plural)
dat
that (het-words)
moeten
to have to, must
proberen
to try
te
to (infinitive marker)
het doel
the goal
behalen
to achieve
Questions & Answers about Jullie moeten proberen dat doel te behalen.
Why is there a te before behalen?
The verb proberen (to try) is one of the specific verbs that require te before the next action. Whenever you want to say "try to do something" in Dutch, you use proberen + te + the second infinitive.
Why is proberen in the middle of the sentence instead of with the other verb at the end?
Because dat doel te behalen is treated as a separate infinitive clause that comes after the main idea. The main part of the sentence is Jullie moeten proberen. You actually can group all the verbs at the end (Jullie moeten dat doel proberen te behalen), but placing the te-clause at the very end is extremely common and often easier to build!
Why do we use dat instead of die for "that goal"?
The word for goal is a "het-word" (het doel). When pointing out a specific "het-word" (meaning "this" or "that"), you must use dit or dat. If it were a "de-word", you would use deze or die.
What is the difference between halen and behalen?
While halen generally means to fetch, get, or catch (like catching a train), behalen is used specifically for achieving things that take long-term effort. You use behalen for goals, victories, or school degrees.
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