Breakdown of Het is lastig om de stof zonder laboratorium te meten.
zijn
to be
het
it
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
lastig
tricky / difficult (troublesome)
zonder
without
de stof
the substance
het laboratorium
the laboratory
meten
to measure
Questions & Answers about Het is lastig om de stof zonder laboratorium te meten.
Why does this sentence start with Het?
Het acts as a dummy subject here. It doesn't refer to a physical object like a book or a car. Instead, it anticipates the real focus of the sentence, which is the action happening later: om de stof ... te meten (to measure the substance). You will often see the pattern Het is [adjective] om ... te [verb] used to express an opinion about doing something.
Why are de stof and zonder laboratorium placed where they are?
In an om ... te clause, om goes at the start of the phrase, and te plus the full infinitive verb (meten) goes at the very end. Any objects or extra details—like the direct object de stof and the preposition phrase zonder laboratorium—must be sandwiched between them.
Doesn't stof usually mean 'dust'?
It can! Stof is a very versatile word in Dutch. Depending on the context, it can mean 'dust', 'fabric' or 'cloth', or, as used in this scientific context, 'substance' or 'matter'.
Could I use moeilijk instead of lastig in this sentence?
Yes, moeilijk (difficult) works perfectly fine here too. Lastig is a very common alternative that often carries a slight extra nuance of being 'tricky', 'annoying', or 'inconvenient', rather than just purely difficult.
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