Breakdown of Wij proberen snel een datum af te spreken.
een
a/an
wij
we
snel
fast
proberen
to try
te
to (infinitive marker)
de datum
the date
afspreken
to agree on / to meet up
Questions & Answers about Wij proberen snel een datum af te spreken.
Why is te in the middle of afspreken to make af te spreken?
Afspreken is a separable verb, made of the prefix af and the verb spreken. When a separable verb needs te ("to") before it, the te squeezes right between the prefix and the verb. In writing, they are separated by spaces: af te spreken.
Why is af te spreken placed at the very end of the sentence?
In a te clause, the infinitive verb (with te) always goes at the very end. The main verb proberen (to try) stays in the normal second position, and all the extra details like snel een datum (quickly a date) must come before the te verb at the end.
I learned about om ... te clauses. Why is there no om in this sentence?
With the verb proberen (to try), adding om is optional. You can use just te, as in this sentence, or you can add om after the main verb: Wij proberen om snel een datum af te spreken. Both are perfectly correct and mean the same thing.
Does afspreken just mean "to agree"?
It specifically means "to arrange," "to agree upon," or "to meet up." It is the standard verb the Dutch use for making plans. While here it means agreeing on a specific date (een datum), you will often use it to say "to meet up," like Laten we afspreken (Let's meet up).
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