Breakdown of De freelancer heeft de discipline nodig, hij moet zichzelf uitdagen.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
hebben
to have
nodig
needed
moeten
to have to, must
de freelancer
the freelancer
zichzelf
himself / herself / themselves (emphatic)
de discipline
the discipline
uitdagen
to challenge
Questions & Answers about De freelancer heeft de discipline nodig, hij moet zichzelf uitdagen.
Why does this sentence use zichzelf instead of just zich?
The verb uitdagen (to challenge) is not a naturally reflexive verb. You can challenge someone else, or you can challenge yourself. When a verb isn't automatically reflexive and the action is directed back at the subject, we use zichzelf to make it clear and to add emphasis. He must challenge himself, not his clients!
Why are heeft and nodig separated from each other in the first clause?
They belong to the expression nodig hebben, which translates to "to need". In a standard main clause, the conjugated verb (heeft) takes the second position, while the word nodig gets pushed to the end of that clause, behaving a lot like the prefix of a separable verb.
Why is uitdagen placed at the very end of the sentence?
Because of the modal verb moet (must). In Dutch, when you use a conjugated modal verb in the second position, it pushes the main action verb (uitdagen) all the way to the end of the clause in its full infinitive form.
Is uitdagen a separable verb?
Yes! It is made up of uit + dagen. However, because the modal verb moet pushes it to the end of the sentence as a full infinitive, the prefix and the verb stay firmly attached together here.
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