Breakdown of Ben je bezig de uitlaat vast te draaien?
zijn
to be
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
te
to (infinitive marker)
bezig
busy (occupied, engaged)
de uitlaat
the exhaust
vastdraaien
to tighten
Questions & Answers about Ben je bezig de uitlaat vast te draaien?
Why doesn't this sentence use met, like in the standard bezig zijn met structure?
You use bezig zijn met when a noun follows (for example, Ben je bezig met de auto?). However, this sentence uses a verb phrase. When you express being busy with an action using te + infinitive (vast te draaien), the word met is dropped.
Why is te placed in the middle of vast te draaien?
Vastdraaien (to tighten) is a separable verb, made of the prefix vast (tight/fixed) and the verb draaien (to turn). Whenever a separable verb gets paired with te, the te is inserted directly between the prefix and the verb, and they are written as three separate words.
Could I add om to this sentence?
Yes, you can! It is very common to include om after bezig to introduce the rest of the action. You could perfectly say Ben je bezig om de uitlaat vast te draaien? Both versions are correct and widely used by native speakers.
Why is the object (de uitlaat) placed before the verb?
In Dutch, a te + infinitive construction always goes at the very end of its clause. Because of this, the direct object (de uitlaat) has to come before the action that is happening to it (vast te draaien).
Learn Ben je bezig de uitlaat vast te draaien 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