Breakdown of Wij voelen het publiek springen.
wij
we
het publiek
the audience
springen
to jump
voelen
to feel (something) / to seem/feel (a certain way)
Questions & Answers about Wij voelen het publiek springen.
Why is springen at the very end of the sentence?
When you use a verb of perception like voelen (to feel) with another action, the second verb goes to the end of the clause as an infinitive (the full dictionary form). It behaves just like a modal verb in this way.
Do I need to put te before springen?
No. Verbs of perception like voelen, zien (to see), and horen (to hear) take a bare infinitive. This means you just use the plain verb springen without adding te before it.
Why isn't springen conjugated to match het publiek?
Because springen is the second verb in the sentence linked to the perception verb voelen, it stays in its infinitive form. The only verb that gets conjugated to match a subject here is voelen, which matches the main subject wij.
Can this also translate to "We feel the crowd jumping"?
Yes! Dutch doesn't use an "-ing" verb form for this kind of ongoing action. The construction with the bare infinitive springen perfectly translates to both "jump" and "jumping".
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