Breakdown of De student gebruikt zijn aandacht om zich te focussen.
de student
the student
zijn
his
gebruiken
to use
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
zich focussen
to focus oneself
de aandacht
the attention
Questions & Answers about De student gebruikt zijn aandacht om zich te focussen.
Why is zich used in this sentence?
In Dutch, the verb focussen is often used reflexively as zich focussen (literally 'to focus oneself'). Because the person doing the focusing is De student (a third-person singular subject), we must use the matching third-person reflexive pronoun zich.
How does the word order work with om ... te and the reflexive pronoun here?
In an om ... te (in order to) clause, pronouns and objects usually go immediately after om. The structure is always om + [pronouns/objects] + te + [infinitive]. That is why zich is safely sandwiched right between om and te focussen.
The English translation just says 'to focus'. Do I always need to add a reflexive pronoun for this verb in Dutch?
Yes, many verbs are reflexive in Dutch even though they are not in English. If you just say om te focussen, it sounds incomplete to a Dutch ear. You must include the correct reflexive pronoun to show who is 'focusing themselves'.
Could I leave out om and just say ... gebruikt zijn aandacht zich te focussen?
No, the full om ... te combination is required here because it expresses a purpose or intention. It acts just like 'in order to' in English. Leaving out om would make the grammatical structure fall apart.
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