Learn Dutch: We dragen handschoenen, opdat we de kwetsbare voorwerpen niet aantasten. - We wear gloves, so that we do not damage the fragile objects.

Both mean 'so that', but opdat is much more formal and exclusively expresses a deliberate purpose or intention. Zodat is more common in everyday speech and can express either purpose ('in order that') or result ('with the result that'). You will mostly see opdat in formal writing, instructions, or literature.

How does opdat affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?

Because opdat is a subordinating conjunction, it introduces a subclause and pushes the verb to the end. That is why the verb aantasten is placed at the very end of the sentence, rather than directly after the subject we.

Why is niet placed right before the verb aantasten instead of earlier in the sentence?

When a specific direct object is used (indicated here by the definite article de in de kwetsbare voorwerpen), the negation niet must come after it. Since this is a subclause with the verb pushed to the end, niet naturally slots in right before that final verb.

The word aantasten is translated as 'damage'. Does it have a specific nuance compared to a standard word like beschadigen?

Yes. While beschadigen is the general word for 'to damage', aantasten specifically means 'to affect negatively', 'to taint', or 'to corrode'. It is often used for chemical reactions, rust, or the oils from human skin degrading delicate materials. This makes it the perfect verb choice for handling fragile museum objects without gloves.