Breakdown of Laten we onze stem gebruiken om iets te veranderen.
onze
our (de-words, plurals)
gebruiken
to use
veranderen
to change
iets
something
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
laten
to let (laten we ... = let's ...)
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
de stem
the voice
Questions & Answers about Laten we onze stem gebruiken om iets te veranderen.
How does the Laten we structure work in this sentence?
Laten we means let's. In Dutch, you put Laten we at the start, and the main action verb goes all the way at the end of that clause. Here, the main action is gebruiken (to use), so it comes after onze stem (our voice).
Why doesn't gebruiken go at the very end of the whole sentence?
The sentence is actually made of two parts. The main clause is Laten we onze stem gebruiken (Let's use our voice). The second part is an extra phrase added to the end: om iets te veranderen (to change something). The verb gebruiken goes at the end of its own clause, right before the om starts the next part.
Why is there an om and a te around iets and veranderen?
The combination om ... te plus an infinitive verb means in order to do something. In this sentence, om iets te veranderen literally means in order to change something. The word om starts this part of the sentence, and the te goes right before the action verb.
Why is it onze stem instead of ons stem?
Stem (voice) is a de-word (de stem). For de-words and plural words, you must use onze for our. You only use ons for singular het-words (like ons huis).
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