Breakdown of De jongen is bezig de hete olie van het metaal te verwijderen.
zijn
to be
de jongen
the boy
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
te
to (infinitive marker)
Questions & Answers about De jongen is bezig de hete olie van het metaal te verwijderen.
Why is there no met after bezig in this sentence?
The phrase bezig zijn met (to be busy with) is used when followed by a noun, like Hij is bezig met zijn werk. However, when you use a verb to describe the action someone is busy doing, you use bezig zijn followed by te and the infinitive, without met. That is why we have is bezig ... te verwijderen here.
Could we use om in this sentence, as in is bezig om ... te verwijderen?
Yes, you can! In modern Dutch, it is very common to say is bezig om de hete olie ... te verwijderen. Including om is optional when using bezig zijn with a te-infinitive, so leaving it out, as this sentence does, is also perfectly fine.
Why are the words de hete olie van het metaal placed between bezig and te verwijderen?
In Dutch, infinitives get pushed to the end of the clause. The phrase te verwijderen is the infinitive part of the action, so it goes at the very end. The objects and details connected to that action, like de hete olie (what is being removed) and van het metaal (where it is being removed from), are placed between the active verb (is bezig) and the infinitive.
Why is it hete with an -e on the end instead of just ?