Breakdown of Het gaat een dag of drie duren om de hele inboedel in te pakken.
een
a/an
drie
three
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
het
it
duren
to last / to take time
de dag
the day
of
or
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
inpakken
to wrap
heel
whole
de inboedel
the household effects
Questions & Answers about Het gaat een dag of drie duren om de hele inboedel in te pakken.
How does een dag of drie translate to "about three days"?
In Dutch, you can express an estimated quantity by using een + [unit] + of + [number]. Here, een dag of drie literally looks like "a day or three", but it translates to "about three days" or "three days or so". This structure is incredibly common in everyday speech for giving estimates.
Why is the word te placed in the middle of in te pakken?
The verb inpakken (to pack) is a separable verb. When a separable verb is used with te (here as part of the om ... te construction to mean "in order to"), the te must be squeezed between the prefix (in) and the core verb (pakken), written together as a single word: in te pakken.
Could I change the word order to om in te pakken de hele inboedel?
No, because the phrase introduced by om requires the verb to be placed at the very end of the clause. The direct object (de hele inboedel) has to come before the verb phrase (in te pakken).
What exactly does inboedel refer to?
Inboedel is a specific term referring to all the movable items inside a home, like your furniture, appliances, and personal belongings. It translates to "household effects" or "household contents" and is frequently used when talking about moving house or home insurance (inboedelverzekering).
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