Het systeem dat wij gebruiken staat op het punt te crashen.
The system that we use is about to crash.
Breakdown of Het systeem dat wij gebruiken staat op het punt te crashen.
wij
we
op
on
staan
to stand
gebruiken
to use
het punt
the point / the score
te
to (infinitive marker)
dat
that/which (relative pronoun)
het systeem
the system
crashen
to crash (computers, systems)
Questions & Answers about Het systeem dat wij gebruiken staat op het punt te crashen.
How does the phrase staat op het punt te crashen work here?
The expression op het punt staan te literally translates to "to stand on the point to". In Dutch, this is the standard way to say that something is "about to" happen. Since the subject is Het systeem, we use the conjugated form staat.
The lesson mentions op het punt staan om ... te. Why is om missing in this sentence?
The word om is optional in this structure. You could absolutely say ... staat op het punt om te crashen, but dropping om is very common and sounds completely natural, especially when the infinitive phrase is short.
Why is the word for "that" translated as dat instead of die?
This goes back to the gender of the noun it refers to. Because systeem is a neuter noun (het systeem), you must use the relative pronoun dat. If it were a de word, like de computer, you would use die (de computer die wij gebruiken).
Why is the verb gebruiken at the end of the phrase dat wij gebruiken?
The phrase dat wij gebruiken is a relative clause, which gives more information about the system. A relative clause acts as a subordinate clause in Dutch, meaning all verbs are pushed to the very end. That is why gebruiken comes after the subject wij.
Is crashen conjugated like a normal Dutch verb?
Yes! Dutch frequently borrows English verbs and treats them as regular Dutch verbs. The infinitive gets an -en ending (crashen). If you needed the past tense, it would follow the standard rules for regular verbs, for example het crashte (it crashed).
Learn Het systeem dat wij gebruiken staat op het punt te crashen and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free