Breakdown of Het begint bijna te lukken.
beginnen
to begin
het
it
bijna
almost
te
to (infinitive marker)
lukken
to succeed / to work out
Questions & Answers about Het begint bijna te lukken.
Why do we need the word te before lukken?
In Dutch, when you use the verb beginnen (to begin/start) followed by another verb, you must connect them with te. This is similar to saying 'to' in the English phrase 'starting to work out'. The te goes immediately before the infinitive (the full dictionary form of the verb), which is lukken here.
The translation says 'to work out', but doesn't lukken mean 'to succeed'?
Yes, lukken literally means 'to succeed'. However, in Dutch, it is very commonly used for everyday tasks to mean 'to work out', 'to manage', or 'to go well'. So Het begint bijna te lukken essentially means 'It is almost starting to succeed'.
Why is bijna placed in the middle of the sentence?
In a main clause, the conjugated verb (begint) must be in the second position. The adverb bijna (almost) comes right after it. Then, the te + infinitive construction (te lukken) is pushed to the very end of the sentence.
Could I say Het begint te bijna lukken?
No, in Dutch, the word te must stay right next to the infinitive verb it belongs to. You cannot split te and lukken with an adverb like bijna. Therefore, bijna comes earlier in the sentence, leaving te lukken grouped together at the end.
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