Breakdown of Het was een grote opluchting om het geld terug te geven.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
groot
big
het geld
the money
het
it
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
teruggeven
to give back
de opluchting
the relief
Questions & Answers about Het was een grote opluchting om het geld terug te geven.
Why is te placed between terug and geven instead of before the verb?
Teruggeven (to give back) is a separable verb. When a separable verb is used in a te + infinitive construction, the te splits the verb and goes between the prefix (terug) and the main verb (geven). They are written as three separate words: terug te geven.
Why do we need the word om in this sentence?
The structure om ... te + infinitive is used to express "to do something" or "in order to do something". In Dutch, when you link an action to a descriptive noun phrase like een grote opluchting (a great relief), you usually frame that action with om ... te.
Why does the object het geld come before the verbs?
In an om ... te clause, the verb phrase is pushed to the very end of the sentence. Because of this rule, the object (het geld) must come before the verb components (terug te geven).
Why does the adjective grote get an -e at the end?
Nouns that end in -ing (like opluchting) are always de-words. When an adjective comes before a singular de-word, it gets an -e ending, even when it comes after the indefinite article een.
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