Breakdown of Laten we hopen dat de danser zuiver zingt.
zingen
to sing
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
laten
to let (laten we ... = let's ...)
hopen
to hope
dat
that (conjunction)
de danser
the dancer
zuiver
in tune / pure
Questions & Answers about Laten we hopen dat de danser zuiver zingt.
Since this lesson is about the provisional object het, why is there no het here? Shouldn't it be Laten we het hopen dat...?
Good catch! While many verbs require a provisional het to introduce a dat-clause (like Ik vind het leuk dat...), verbs of thinking, saying, and hoping—such as hopen (to hope), denken (to think), and zeggen (to say)—usually skip it. You just connect the verb directly to the dat-clause.
Zuiver usually means "pure" or "clean". Why does it mean "in tune" here?
When talking about sound, singing, or musical instruments, a "pure" sound means it hits the exact right pitch. So, zuiver zingen translates to singing in tune. If you want to say someone sings out of tune, you use the word vals (false).
Is Laten we... the standard way to say "Let's..." in Dutch?
Yes! To make a suggestion involving yourself and others ("Let us..."), you use Laten we followed by an infinitive verb (here, hopen). Just like in English, laten acts as the main verb of this opening clause.
Why does zingt come at the very end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause (dat de danser zuiver zingt). As a reminder from earlier lessons, in a Dutch subordinate clause, the conjugated verb (zingt) is always pushed to the very end, coming right after any other details like zuiver.
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