Breakdown of Het te archiveren papierwerk is zo zwaar dat ik het moet laten liggen.
ik
I
zijn
to be
het
it
zwaar
heavy / severe (of a punishment) / tough, hard
moeten
to have to, must
liggen
to lie
zo
so (to such a degree)
laten
to let (laten we ... = let's ...)
dat
that (conjunction)
te
to (infinitive marker)
het papierwerk
the paperwork
archiveren
to archive
Questions & Answers about Het te archiveren papierwerk is zo zwaar dat ik het moet laten liggen.
How does the phrase te archiveren work here?
This is an example of the attributive modal infinitive, the focus of this lesson. By placing te + the infinitive (archiveren) directly before a noun (papierwerk), it acts like an adjective that expresses a passive obligation. It translates directly to "the to-be-archived paperwork" or "the paperwork that needs to be archived."
Why doesn't archiveren get an -e ending like most adjectives do?
Even though te archiveren functions as an adjective in this sentence, it is still technically an infinitive verb. In Dutch, attributive infinitives never take the adjectival -e ending, regardless of the noun's gender or whether it is plural.
Why are there three verbs at the end (moet laten liggen)?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause, which pushes all the verbs to the end. Here, you have a verb cluster consisting of a conjugated modal verb (moet), a causative verb (laten), and a main verb (liggen). In clusters of three or more verbs at the end of a clause, the conjugated verb usually comes first.
Is laten liggen a fixed expression?
Yes. While it literally translates to "let lie," laten liggen is the standard Dutch way to say "to leave something behind," "to leave something be," or "to not pick something up." In this context, the paperwork is too heavy, so the speaker has to leave it where it is.
Why is the pronoun het used before the verb cluster (ik het moet...)?
The pronoun het refers back to het papierwerk (the paperwork). Because papierwerk is a neuter noun (taking the article het), you must use the pronoun het to say "leave it."
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