Breakdown of Deze barcode is niet te traceren.
zijn
to be
niet
not
deze
this / these
te
to (infinitive marker)
de barcode
the barcode
traceren
to track
Questions & Answers about Deze barcode is niet te traceren.
Why does "is niet te traceren" mean "cannot be tracked" when there is no word for "can" (kunnen)?
In Dutch, the structure zijn (to be) + te + infinitive is often used to express that something can or must be done. It acts as a passive voice. Literally, it means "is not to track", which translates to "cannot be tracked" in natural English.
Can I use the standard passive voice here, like "kan niet getraceerd worden"?
Yes, you can! Deze barcode kan niet getraceerd worden is grammatically correct and means exactly the same thing. The is te + infinitive structure in this sentence is just a more compact, commonly used alternative.
Why do we use deze instead of dit for "this"?
Barcode is a de-word in Dutch (de barcode). When pointing out a specific de-word, you always use deze (this) or die (that). If it were a het-word, you would use dit or dat.
If I wanted to say the barcode can be tracked easily, how would the sentence change?
You would replace niet with gemakkelijk (easily) or makkelijk, placing it right before the te + infinitive. The sentence becomes: Deze barcode is makkelijk te traceren. Adverbs that describe the action go immediately before the te.
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