Breakdown of Hij verandert de structuur om het proces te kunnen beïnvloeden.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
kunnen
can
veranderen
to change
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
het proces
the process
de structuur
the structure (framework, organization)
beïnvloeden
to influence
Questions & Answers about Hij verandert de structuur om het proces te kunnen beïnvloeden.
Why is te placed before kunnen instead of before the main verb beïnvloeden?
In an om ... te clause with multiple infinitives, te must go immediately before the first verb in the final verb cluster. Here, that is the modal verb kunnen (to be able to), not the main action verb beïnvloeden. It always goes right before the cluster, never splitting the verbs.
Why does the object het proces come before the verbs?
In an om ... te clause, the word order behaves like a subordinate clause. All verbs are pushed to the very end of the sentence. Therefore, the object het proces must come before the entire verb cluster te kunnen beïnvloeden.
Could I just say om het proces te beïnvloeden without kunnen?
Yes, but it slightly changes the meaning. Leaving out kunnen simply means 'in order to influence the process'. Adding kunnen makes it 'in order to be able to influence the process', emphasizing that changing the structure gives him the capability or opportunity to do so.
Why does beïnvloeden have a trema (two dots) on the i?
The trema tells you to start a new syllable. Without it, the ei in beinvloeden would be pronounced as a single vowel sound (like in trein). The dots on the i clarify that the prefix be- ends and the root word begins, keeping the vowel sounds separate.
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