Breakdown of Heb jij de ambitie volgend jaar de baas te worden?
jij
you
hebben
to have
de baas
the boss
het jaar
the year
worden
to become
volgend
next
te
to (infinitive marker)
de ambitie
the ambition
Questions & Answers about Heb jij de ambitie volgend jaar de baas te worden?
How does this sentence relate to a dat-clause?
The phrase volgend jaar de baas te worden is a shortened subclause (beknopte bijzin). If you used a full dat-clause, it would be Heb jij de ambitie dat je volgend jaar de baas wordt? Because the subject (jij) is the same in both parts, you can drop the second subject and use te + infinitive instead.
Shouldn't there be an om before volgend jaar?
You can include om here (... de ambitie om volgend jaar ...), and it is very common to do so. However, when an infinitive clause modifies a noun expressing an intention, like de ambitie, het plan, or de wens, the word om is technically optional in Dutch.
Why is volgend jaar placed before de baas?
Dutch typically follows the Time-Manner-Place rule. Time expressions like volgend jaar come as early as possible in the middle part of the clause, definitely before a noun complement like de baas.
Why do we use the article in de baas instead of dropping it like with other professions?
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