Breakdown of De politie beveelt de daders om de gijzelaar vrij te laten.
de politie
the police
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
de dader
the perpetrator
Questions & Answers about De politie beveelt de daders om de gijzelaar vrij te laten.
Why is de daders placed before the om ... te clause instead of inside it?
The verb bevelen (to order) takes a direct object, which is the person or group receiving the order. Here, de daders is the object of the main clause. Because they are also the ones who must carry out the action, they act as the implicit subject of the infinitive clause. The om ... te structure then follows to explain exactly what they are ordered to do.
How does te work with the verb vrijlaten in this sentence?
Vrijlaten (to release or set free) is a separable verb consisting of the prefix vrij and the core verb laten. In an infinitive clause, the word te must be placed directly between the separable prefix and the core verb. This is always written as three separate words: vrij te laten.
Is the word om strictly necessary in this sentence?
No, with verbs of ordering, persuading, or advising like bevelen, the om is optional. You could also correctly write De politie beveelt de daders de gijzelaar vrij te laten. However, including om is very common in modern Dutch and helps to clearly mark the beginning of the infinitive clause.
Why does the Dutch sentence use the singular verb beveelt when the English translation uses the plural order?