Breakdown of De stiefmoeder zegt dat de heks heeft kunnen vluchten.
hebben
to have
zeggen
to say
kunnen
can
dat
that (conjunction)
vluchten
to flee
de heks
the witch
de stiefmoeder
the stepmother
Questions & Answers about De stiefmoeder zegt dat de heks heeft kunnen vluchten.
Why is heeft placed before kunnen vluchten at the end of the sentence?
In a subordinate clause (introduced here by dat), verbs are pushed to the end. However, because we have a cluster of three verbs, there is a strict rule: the conjugated auxiliary verb (heeft) must come before the double infinitives (kunnen vluchten). You cannot put heeft at the very end, which is a common mistake learners make.
Why does the sentence use the infinitive kunnen instead of the past participle gekund?
This is the "double infinitive" rule (often called the IPP effect). In perfect tenses, when a modal verb like kunnen is combined with another action verb (vluchten), the modal verb takes its infinitive form instead of its past participle. So, instead of the incorrect heeft gekund vluchten, Dutch requires heeft kunnen vluchten.
Does the order of the two infinitives matter? Could I say heeft vluchten kunnen?
Yes, the order strictly matters! In a double infinitive group, the modal or helper verb (kunnen) must always come before the main action verb (vluchten).
Why isn't the verb zegt pushed to the end as well?
De stiefmoeder zegt is the main clause, so it follows normal Dutch word order where the conjugated verb stays in the second position. Only the subordinate clause (the part starting with dat) sends its verbs to the end of the sentence.
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