Questions & Answers about Ik heb niet de moed om alleen in deze muur te boren.
Why does this sentence use alleen instead of zelf?
Alleen focuses on being "alone" (without other people's help or presence). Zelf focuses on doing it "oneself" or "personally". If you used zelf here, it would mean you don't have the courage to do the drilling yourself and perhaps want to hire a professional. Using alleen means you are scared to do it by yourself and want someone there for support.
Why is it niet de moed and not geen moed?
The word geen is used to negate indefinite nouns (nouns without "the", or nouns with "a/an"). Because the sentence refers to a specific courage—de moed (the courage)—we must use niet to negate the sentence instead of geen.
Why are we using the om ... te structure here?
The om ... te plus infinitive structure is used to say "to do something". It often connects a secondary action to a noun or an adjective. Here, it connects the noun phrase de moed to the action you need that courage for: boren (to drill).
Why are alleen and in deze muur placed before te boren?