Breakdown of Ik heb nog veel werk te doen voor mijn verlof.
ik
I
hebben
to have
veel
much / many / a lot of
het werk
the work
doen
to do
mijn
my
voor
to (time), before
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
te
to (infinitive marker)
het verlof
leave / time off
Questions & Answers about Ik heb nog veel werk te doen voor mijn verlof.
Why use verlof instead of vakantie here?
Verlof specifically refers to official "leave" from work (like approved time off, maternity leave, or unpaid leave). Vakantie is the general word for a "vacation" or "holiday". Because this sentence is about taking time away from a job, verlof is the most precise term.
Why do we use te doen here instead of just the infinitive doen?
Dutch uses the hebben + [noun] + te + [infinitive] construction to express that there is a task to be completed. It translates exactly to the English "have [noun] to do". Whenever you possess a specific object or task that needs an action performed on it, you must use te.
Does voor mean "for" or "before" in this sentence?
Here it means "before". While voor very often means "for", it is also the standard Dutch preposition of time for "before" (as opposed to na, which means "after"). Context usually makes it clear, as "for my leave" wouldn't make much logical sense here.
Could I place nog somewhere else in the sentence, like after werk?
No, that would sound unnatural. Nog (still) is an adverb, and in this sentence, it logically groups with and modifies the noun phrase veel werk. Placing it right before what it emphasizes (nog veel werk) is the standard word order.
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