Breakdown of Wij hebben de olifant laten buigen.
wij
we
hebben
to have
laten
to have (something) done
buigen
to bow / to bend
de olifant
the elephant
Questions & Answers about Wij hebben de olifant laten buigen.
Why is it laten in this sentence instead of the past participle gelaten?
This sentence is in the present perfect tense, so you might expect a past participle. However, because the causative verb laten is immediately followed by another verb (buigen), Dutch swaps the past participle for the infinitive. This creates a double infinitive at the end of the sentence.
Why do both laten and buigen go at the very end?
In a Dutch main clause, the conjugated auxiliary verb (hebben) takes the second position. The double infinitives (laten buigen) are always pushed together to the very end of the sentence, sandwiching the object (de olifant) in the middle.
Does laten mean we forced the elephant to bow, or just allowed it?
It could be either! The Dutch verb laten can mean to give permission (to let) or to cause an action to happen (to make or to have someone do something). Context will tell you if they trained the elephant to do it or just allowed it to happen.
Can I change the order of the verbs at the end to buigen laten?
No, you have to keep them in this specific order. The causing verb (laten) comes right before the action verb it controls (buigen).
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