Word
Het kind is te klein om in de achtbaan te gaan.
Meaning
The child is too small to go in the rollercoaster.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Het kind is te klein om in de achtbaan te gaan.
zijn
to be
klein
small
het kind
the child
in
in
Questions & Answers about Het kind is te klein om in de achtbaan te gaan.
Why are there two te's in this sentence?
This is the classic te ... om ... te structure used to say something is "too [adjective] to [do something]". The first te means "too" (te klein = too small). The om ... te part connects the action and translates roughly to "in order to". Literally, the sentence says: "The child is too small in order to go in the rollercoaster".
Why isn't the order om te gaan in de achtbaan?
In Dutch, the om ... te structure acts like a bracket. The word om opens the phrase right after the adjective, and te plus the infinitive verb (gaan) must close the phrase at the very end. Any extra details, like the location (in de achtbaan), get sandwiched in the middle.
Can I say op de achtbaan like we say "on the rollercoaster" in English?
Usually, no. In Dutch, you go in a rollercoaster (in de achtbaan gaan), similar to how you sit in a car. It is a common trap for English speakers because prepositions rarely translate word-for-word!
What is the literal translation of achtbaan?
It literally means "eight track". It is a compound of acht (eight) and baan (track, path, or course). The Dutch named rollercoasters after the figure-eight shape of early amusement park rides!