Learn Dutch: Ons innige verlangen is om altijd samen te zijn. - Our intimate longing is to always be together.

This is a common trap! Adjectives only drop the -e before a het-word if the noun is indefinite (like after een or geen). Possessive pronouns like ons (our) make the noun definite, so the adjective gets the standard -e ending. It is een innig verlangen, but ons innige verlangen.

How do we know that verlangen is a het-word?

Verlangen (longing) is a noun made directly from the verb verlangen (to long). In Dutch, all nouns that are simply the full infinitive verb used as a noun are automatically het-words.

Could we use a noun ending in -de for 'longing' here, since that is the current lesson?

No. The -de suffix is used to turn adjectives into nouns (like koud into koude, or lief into liefde). Because 'longing' comes from an action (a verb) rather than a physical property or characteristic (an adjective), we turn it into a noun by using the full infinitive instead.

Why is there an om before altijd samen te zijn?