Breakdown of Ik heb geen papier om het vuur mee aan te steken.
ik
I
hebben
to have
geen
no / not any
te
to (infinitive marker)
Questions & Answers about Ik heb geen papier om het vuur mee aan te steken.
Why do we use mee instead of met in this sentence?
This sentence uses a stranded preposition that refers back to papier. In Dutch, when the preposition met (with) gets separated from its noun and placed at the end of the clause, it changes into its pronominal form, mee. You cannot say om het vuur met aan te steken.
How does the om ... te structure work with the separable verb aansteken?
When you use a separable verb like aansteken (to light) in an infinitive phrase, the word te is placed directly between the separable prefix (aan) and the base verb (steken). They are written as three separate words: aan te steken.
Why is mee placed right before the verb instead of right after papier?
In an attributive om ... te clause, the stranded preposition (mee) acts as a linker and is pushed to the end of the clause, immediately before the verb group (aan te steken). The direct object of the action (het vuur) must come before it.
Can I use waarmee instead of this om ... mee te structure?