Breakdown of Hij mediteert om zich te focussen.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
zich focussen
to focus oneself
mediteren
to meditate
Questions & Answers about Hij mediteert om zich te focussen.
Why is zich in this sentence? We don't say "he focuses himself" in English.
Many verbs in Dutch are reflexive even when their English translations are not. The verb zich focussen (to focus) is one of them. Since the implied subject doing the focusing is hij (he), the correct reflexive pronoun is zich.
What is the word order rule for zich in an om ... te phrase?
In an om ... te (in order to) clause, the reflexive pronoun directly follows om. The standard order is om + reflexive pronoun + te + infinitive.
If the sentence was "I meditate to focus", would I still use zich?
No, the reflexive pronoun must match the person doing the action. Since "I" am focusing, you would use me, making the sentence: Ik mediteer om me te focussen.
Why is focussen spelled with a double 's'?
Although it is an English loanword, it follows Dutch spelling rules. To keep the 'u' sounding short when adding the -en ending, the consonant 's' must be doubled.
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