Breakdown of De leraar gaf de student de opdracht om het boek te lezen.
de student
the student
het boek
the book
lezen
to read
geven
to give
Questions & Answers about De leraar gaf de student de opdracht om het boek te lezen.
How does this sentence express a reported command?
Instead of using a direct quote like 'Lees het boek!' (Read the book!), this sentence uses the phrase de opdracht geven (to give the assignment or command) followed by an om ... te clause (om het boek te lezen) to report what was ordered.
Why do we use the om ... te structure here?
In Dutch, when you report a command, request, or intention after a noun like opdracht or a verb like vragen (to ask), you use the om + [extra words] + te + infinitive structure. Here, om introduces the reported action, and te goes right before the infinitive verb lezen at the end of the sentence.
Why is there no word for 'to' before de student?
Because Dutch allows you to drop the preposition aan (to) if you put the indirect object (the receiver, de student) right before the direct object (the thing given, de opdracht). You could also say De leraar gaf de opdracht aan de student, but dropping aan is very common and natural.
Could I use a single verb instead of the phrase de opdracht geven?
Yes! You can use the separable verb opdragen (to command or to instruct). If you used that verb, the sentence would be: De leraar droeg de student op om het boek te lezen. Both ways are perfectly fine for reporting a command at this level.