Breakdown of Hij weigert te twijfelen aan het doel.
het doel
the goal
twijfelen aan
to doubt
weigeren te
to refuse to
Questions & Answers about Hij weigert te twijfelen aan het doel.
Why is te placed before twijfelen here?
The main verb is weigeren (to refuse). Just like in English ("refuses to doubt"), many Dutch verbs require te before the infinitive of the second verb. You will see this same pattern with verbs like proberen (to try) and beginnen (to begin).
Why do we need the preposition aan when the English translation just says "doubt the goal"?
Some Dutch verbs are always paired with a specific fixed preposition. Twijfelen is one of them: you always twijfelen aan (literally "doubt on") something. It is best to memorize the preposition aan as a package deal with the verb.
Doesn't Dutch grammar usually put the infinitive verb at the very end of the sentence?
Yes, normally you push infinitive verbs to the end, which would make the sentence: Hij weigert aan het doel te twijfelen. However, phrases that start with a preposition (like aan het doel) are allowed to "escape" and move to the very end, after the verbs. Both word orders are correct and very common.
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