Breakdown of De kou is te gevaarlijk om buiten te blijven.
zijn
to be
buiten
outside
blijven
to stay
gevaarlijk
dangerous
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
de kou
the cold
Questions & Answers about De kou is te gevaarlijk om buiten te blijven.
Why do we use om ... te in this sentence?
The Dutch structure te [adjective] om te [infinitive] means 'too [adjective] to [verb]'. Just like in English, you are connecting an adjective (gevaarlijk) with an action (blijven), but Dutch requires the word om to introduce the action.
The adjective for cold is koud. Why does the noun kou drop the d?
It is an exception you just have to memorize! De kou is the standard, everyday noun for 'the cold' when talking about the weather or temperature. There is also a noun de koude, but it sounds very formal or poetic, so people almost always say de kou.
Why does buiten come before te blijven?
In an om ... te construction, the te and the infinitive verb (blijven) must be placed at the very end of the clause. Any extra details, like the location buiten (outside), are sandwiched between om and te.
Could I use voor instead of om to say it is too dangerous 'for' staying outside?
No, that is a direct translation trap! English speakers sometimes try to use voor (for) here, but whenever you express a consequence or purpose with a full verb (like staying outside), Dutch strictly uses the om ... te pattern.
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