Word
Ze laten de computer het geheugen imiteren.
Meaning
They let the computer imitate the memory.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Ze laten de computer het geheugen imiteren.
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
laten
to let (also "let's ...")
de computer
the computer
imiteren
to imitate
Questions & Answers about Ze laten de computer het geheugen imiteren.
Why do we use laten here instead of doen?
We use laten when a subject is instructed, allowed, or delegated to perform an action. Here, they are instructing or setting up the computer to perform a task. Doen is strictly reserved for involuntary physical or emotional reactions, such as making someone laugh or sweat.
If I wanted to translate this as 'They make the computer imitate the memory', would I still use laten?
Yes! English uses 'to make' both for giving an instruction and for causing an involuntary reaction. Dutch strictly separates these. Since having a computer execute a task is a delegation rather than a spontaneous biological reflex, you must use laten, even if you mean you are 'making' or 'forcing' the machine to do it.
Could this sentence technically mean 'They let the memory imitate the computer'?
Because both nouns use the definite article, the word order dictates the meaning. The agent performing the second action (de computer) is placed right after the causative verb (laten). The object receiving that action (het geheugen) comes just before the infinitive (imiteren).
Why isn't there a te before imiteren?