Breakdown of We herhalen het experiment om het verband te bewijzen.
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
bewijzen
to prove
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
Questions & Answers about We herhalen het experiment om het verband te bewijzen.
Why do we use om ... te here instead of just te bewijzen?
When expressing "in order to" or the specific purpose behind an action, Dutch uses the om ... te + infinitive structure. While English often shortens "in order to prove" to just "to prove", Dutch requires the full om ... te to show that proving the connection is the goal of repeating the experiment.
Why does het verband come between om and te?
In an om ... te clause, the word om starts the phrase, but the te + infinitive (te bewijzen) must be pushed to the very end of the sentence. Any objects or details, like het verband (the connection), get sandwiched in the middle.
I learned that het verband means "bandage". Does it have a different meaning here?
Yes! Verband is a very common word with two distinct meanings. In a medical context, it is a bandage. In academic, scientific, or general contexts, it means a "connection," "link," or "relationship" (often used in phrases like oorzakelijk verband, meaning a causal link).
This lesson focuses on moeten for deductions. How could we apply that to this sentence?