Breakdown of Een goedkoop prijskaartje verleidt je, om vervolgens enorm tegen te vallen.
een
a/an
goedkoop
cheap
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
tegenvallen
to disappoint
enorm
enormous
vervolgens
then / subsequently (next in a sequence)
het prijskaartje
price tag
verleiden
to tempt
Questions & Answers about Een goedkoop prijskaartje verleidt je, om vervolgens enorm tegen te vallen.
How does om vervolgens create the meaning "only to" in this sentence?
The phrase om vervolgens literally translates to "in order to subsequently". However, when used to describe a sequence of events, it highlights a stark contrast or an unexpected twist between the first action and the second. In English, we express this exact narrative twist with "only to".
Why is te placed in the middle of tegen te vallen?
The verb here is tegenvallen (to disappoint or to turn out worse than expected), which is a separable verb. In an om ... te infinitive phrase, the word te must be placed between the separable prefix (tegen) and the main verb (vallen).
I learned that "to disappoint" is teleurstellen. Why is tegenvallen used here instead?
While both translate to disappointing, teleurstellen is typically an action someone does to a person (making them feel sad or let down). tegenvallen literally means "to fall against" and is used when a thing, event, or situation simply fails to meet your expectations, just like a product with a cheap price tag turning out to be of poor quality.
Why doesn't the second part of the sentence mention what is doing the disappointing?
In an om ... te construction, the grammar requires that the "hidden" subject of the infinitive is the exact same as the subject of the main clause. Because een goedkoop prijskaartje is the subject of the first part, we automatically know it is also the thing that disappoints in the second part.
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