Word
We hebben met een grote lens naar de oprit liggen loeren.
Meaning
We have been lying lurking at the driveway with a large lens.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of We hebben met een grote lens naar de oprit liggen loeren.
een
a/an
groot
big
hebben
to have
met
with
Questions & Answers about We hebben met een grote lens naar de oprit liggen loeren.
Why do we use the infinitive liggen instead of the past participle gelegen?
This sentence uses the double infinitive rule. In the perfect tense, when a posture verb like liggen (to lie) is used with another verb to describe an ongoing action, it doesn't take the past participle form. Instead, both verbs stay in their bare infinitive forms (liggen loeren).
Why is the verb cluster liggen loeren at the very end of the sentence?
In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated helping verb (here, hebben) sits in the second position, while all other verbs are sent to the end. The extra information, like how (met een grote lens) and where (naar de oprit), must come between the helping verb and the double infinitive.
Does loeren always take the preposition naar?
Yes, when you mention the object you are peering or lurking at, loeren pairs with naar. It works exactly like the more common verb kijken (to look), which also uses naar (to look at).
How is the word oprit formed?
It is a compound noun made of op (on/up) and rit (a drive/ride, which comes from the verb rijden). Together, it refers to a driveway or a highway on-ramp.