Breakdown of Hij beweegt zijn arm om fit te blijven.
blijven
to stay
fit
fit
bewegen
to move / to exercise (physically)
de arm
the arm
Questions & Answers about Hij beweegt zijn arm om fit te blijven.
Why are om and te separated by the word fit?
When using the om ... te (in order to) structure, om introduces the clause, but te and the infinitive verb (blijven) must go at the very end of the sentence. Any other details, like the adjective fit, get sandwiched in between them.
Can I translate "to stay fit" by just saying te blijven fit?
No, because you need the word om to show purpose (the reason why he is moving his arm). In English, we often shorten "in order to" to just "to", but Dutch requires the full om ... te structure to express a goal. Additionally, the verb blijven must always be placed at the very end of the sentence.
Why does the verb bewegen change to beweegt with a double vowel?
To make the "he" form, you take the verb stem and add -t. The infinitive bewegen has a long "e" sound. If you just chopped off the -en, you'd get "beweg", which would force a short "e" sound. To keep the vowel sound long, Dutch doubles the "e" to make the stem (beweeg) before adding the -t (hij beweegt).
Is the word fit an English loanword?
Yes! Dutch has adopted many English words. fit means exactly the same thing in Dutch (to be in good physical shape) and is pronounced almost exactly the same way, though the Dutch "i" is slightly shorter and crisper.
Learn Hij beweegt zijn arm om fit te blijven and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free