Questions & Answers about Zij besluiten te durven.
Why do we use te right before durven?
The main verb here is besluiten (to decide). When besluiten is followed by another verb, it requires te plus the full infinitive form of that second verb. It works just like 'decide to' in English.
Where would I add a word like vandaag (today) to this sentence?
Extra information like time or place goes before the te + infinitive part. You would say Zij besluiten vandaag te durven. The word te and its infinitive generally stay together at the very end of the sentence.
I learned that durven also uses te. Is that happening here?
Not exactly. It is true that when durven (to dare) is the main verb in a sentence, it forces the next verb to use te (for example, Zij durven te springen meaning 'They dare to jump'). But here, besluiten is the main verb causing the te, and durven is just the infinitive verb at the receiving end.
Could I use ze instead of zij in this sentence?
Yes, you can. Ze is the standard, unstressed word for 'they'. You only use zij if you want to put special emphasis on who is doing the action, as in 'They decide to dare (and not the other group)'.
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