Breakdown of Hij zoekt rust om de concentratie te kunnen behouden.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zoeken
to look for
kunnen
can
te
to (infinitive marker)
Questions & Answers about Hij zoekt rust om de concentratie te kunnen behouden.
Why does te come before kunnen instead of the main action behouden?
In an om ... te clause with multiple verbs, te must be placed immediately before the auxiliary or modal verb, which is kunnen in this sentence. The main verb (behouden) goes at the very end of the verb group.
Is the word order te behouden kunnen also correct here?
No, that order is incorrect. When using an infinitive clause with a modal verb like kunnen, the rule is strict: it must be te + modal verb + main verb.
Why does the Dutch sentence use de concentratie when the English translation just says 'concentration'?
Dutch often uses definite articles (de or het) before abstract nouns, even when talking about them in a general sense. English drops the article in these cases, but in Dutch, it sounds more natural to include it.
Why does kunnen translate to 'to be able to' rather than 'can'?
English modal verbs like 'can' or 'must' do not have an infinitive form (you cannot say 'to can'). Dutch modal verbs are complete verbs. Therefore, the infinitive kunnen naturally translates to 'to be able to' when used in an om ... te structure.