Word
We proberen de stellingkast overzichtelijk te houden.
Meaning
We try to keep the shelving unit well-organized.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of We proberen de stellingkast overzichtelijk te houden.
proberen
to try
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
te
to (infinitive marker)
houden
to hold, to keep
Questions & Answers about We proberen de stellingkast overzichtelijk te houden.
Why do we use te houden here instead of a bare infinitive like we do with posture verbs?
The verb proberen (to try) dictates the grammar here. Unlike the hebben + object + bare infinitive structure you are currently learning (like ik heb de fiets staan), verbs such as proberen, beginnen, and beloven require a te + infinitive phrase.
What is the literal meaning of overzichtelijk?
It comes from the noun het overzicht, meaning "the overview." Adding the suffix -elijk turns it into an adjective that literally means "overviewable." We use it to describe things that are well-organized, clear, and easy to navigate at a glance.
Why doesn't the adjective overzichtelijk get an -e ending here?
Because it's functioning as a predicative adjective (describing the state of the object) rather than directly modifying a noun. If you were talking about "the organized shelving unit," it would be de overzichtelijke stellingkast, but here you are keeping the unit in an organized state, so it stays uninflected.
How does the word order of de stellingkast overzichtelijk te houden compare to English?