Breakdown of Zij hoeven zich in het weekend thuis niet te vervelen.
niet
not
zij
they
thuis
at home
in
in
het weekend
the weekend
hoeven
to need (to)
te
to (infinitive marker)
zich vervelen
to be bored
Questions & Answers about Zij hoeven zich in het weekend thuis niet te vervelen.
Why is the word zich used in this sentence?
In Dutch, to be bored is a reflexive verb: zich vervelen (literally to bore oneself). Since the subject is zij (they), the matching reflexive pronoun is zich.
Why does zich come right after hoeven instead of at the end with vervelen?
Reflexive pronouns like zich usually want to be as close to the first, conjugated verb as possible. Even though zich logically belongs to the infinitive vervelen at the end of the sentence, it jumps near the front right after hoeven.
Why is there a te in front of vervelen?
It is required by the verb hoeven. In Dutch, to say you do not have to do something, you use hoeven plus a negative word (like niet) and te before the infinitive verb at the end.
Why is it in het weekend thuis and not thuis in het weekend?
Dutch sentences typically follow the Time before Place rule. In het weekend tells us when (Time), and thuis tells us where (Place), so the time must come first.
How would the reflexive pronoun change if the subject was wij (we) instead of zij?
For wij, the reflexive pronoun is ons. The sentence would become: Wij hoeven ons in het weekend thuis niet te vervelen.
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