Breakdown of Het is moeilijk om het effect van de nieuwe stof te analyseren.
zijn
to be
het
it
nieuw
new
moeilijk
difficult
Questions & Answers about Het is moeilijk om het effect van de nieuwe stof te analyseren.
Why is the sentence split by om and te?
This is the classic om ... te structure used with a dummy subject. The first part says Het is moeilijk (It is difficult), and the om ... te part explains exactly what "It" refers to. The structure is always om + [extra information] + te + [infinitive verb].
Why is the verb analyseren right at the very end of the sentence?
In an om ... te clause, the infinitive verb always goes at the very end of the phrase, right after te. All the extra details, like het effect van de nieuwe stof, get sandwiched between om and te.
There are two hets in this sentence. Are they doing the same job?
No, they have entirely different jobs! The first Het acts as a placeholder subject meaning "It" (Het is moeilijk = It is difficult). The second het is simply the word "the" for the neuter noun effect (het effect = the effect).
Why does nieuw get an extra -e at the end (nieuwe)?