Breakdown of Ik heb de ambitie dat doel na te streven.
ik
I
hebben
to have
dat
that (het-words)
te
to (infinitive marker)
het doel
the goal
de ambitie
the ambition
nastreven
to pursue / to strive for
Questions & Answers about Ik heb de ambitie dat doel na te streven.
How is this an example of replacing a 'dat'-clause?
If you wrote this out as a full subclause, it would be Ik heb de ambitie dat ik dat doel nastreef. Because the subject of the main clause and the subclause is the same (ik), you can drop the second ik and the conjunction dat. The conjugated verb then changes into a shortened te + infinitive structure: dat doel na te streven.
Why is te placed in the middle of nastreven?
Nastreven (to pursue) is a separable verb composed of the prefix na and the verb streven. When you use a separable verb in a te + infinitive clause, the te gets sandwiched between the prefix and the verb, resulting in three separate words: na te streven.
Why does dat doel come before the verbs?
In Dutch infinitive clauses, the verbs are always pushed to the very end of the phrase. Because dat doel (that goal) is the direct object of the action, it must be placed right before the final verb block.
Could I add om to this sentence?
Yes, you could say Ik heb de ambitie om dat doel na te streven. Adding om at the beginning of the infinitive clause is very common and natural in Dutch. It helps clearly mark where the subclause begins, though it is grammatically optional after a noun like ambitie.
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