Breakdown of De zee is te gevaarlijk om in te zwemmen, dus gaat de zwemmer naar huis.
zijn
to be
het huis
the house
in
in
naar
to
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
zwemmen
to swim
gevaarlijk
dangerous
dus
so, therefore
de zee
the sea
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
de zwemmer
the swimmer
Questions & Answers about De zee is te gevaarlijk om in te zwemmen, dus gaat de zwemmer naar huis.
Why is the word in placed right before te zwemmen?
In Dutch constructions using om ... te plus a preposition (like "to swim in"), the preposition must directly precede te and the infinitive verb. While English leaves the preposition dangling at the end of the phrase, Dutch pairs it closely with the verb to form om in te zwemmen.
Could I say om erin te zwemmen instead of just om in te zwemmen?
Yes, but it isn't strictly necessary. When the subject of the main clause (De zee) is clearly the logical object that the preposition refers to, Dutch frequently drops the er in these om ... te phrases. Saying om in te zwemmen is perfectly idiomatic and avoids sounding cluttered.
Why does the verb gaat come right after dus, triggering inversion?
The word dus (so/therefore) can act as either a coordinating conjunction or an adverb. When treated as an adverb at the start of the second clause, it takes the first position, which means the verb (gaat) must come before the subject (de zwemmer). You could technically treat it as a conjunction and say dus de zwemmer gaat naar huis, but using it as an adverb with inversion is extremely common.
Just as a refresher, why is it naar huis instead of thuis?
thuis refers to a stationary location ("at home"), while naar huis implies direction or movement ("homewards" or "to home"). Because the swimmer is actively moving toward their house (gaat), you must use naar huis.
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