Breakdown of De boer laat de mest op het land liggen.
op
on
het land
the country
liggen
to lie
laten
to let (laten we ... = let's ...)
de boer
the farmer
de mest
the manure / the fertilizer
Questions & Answers about De boer laat de mest op het land liggen.
Why is the verb liggen all the way at the end of the sentence?
This sentence uses the verb laten (to let) together with a second verb in its full infinitive form, liggen (to lie). In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb (laat) takes the second position, while any additional verbs are pushed to the very end.
Could I say De boer laat liggen de mest... to keep the verbs together like in English?
No, Dutch uses a verbal bracket or frame here. The conjugated verb (laat) and the infinitive (liggen) act as a frame around the middle part of the sentence. The direct object (de mest) and the location (op het land) must be placed inside this frame.
Does laten here mean to permit, or to force something to happen?
Here it simply means "to let" or "to leave" in a passive sense. The farmer is just allowing the manure to stay on the field. While laten can sometimes act as a causative verb meaning "to have something done" (like Ik laat mijn auto repareren), context here shows he is just leaving it be.
Why use liggen (to lie) for manure instead of just saying it "is" on the land?
Dutch heavily prefers positional verbs (liggen, staan, zitten) over the verb zijn (to be) to describe where things are located. Because manure is a formless mass spread flat on the ground, it "lies" (liggen) there rather than standing or sitting.
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