Breakdown of Hij probeert de locatie uit te zoeken.
de locatie
the location
uitzoeken
to pick out / to figure out
proberen te
to try to
Questions & Answers about Hij probeert de locatie uit te zoeken.
Why is it written as uit te zoeken instead of te uitzoeken?
Uitzoeken (to find out) is a separable verb, made of the prefix uit and the verb zoeken. When a separable verb gets used with te, the te is placed right in the middle. It must be written as three separate words: uit te zoeken.
Why does the object de locatie come before the verbs?
In Dutch, an infinitive clause with te pushes the verb part to the very end of the sentence. So, the object (de locatie) has to come before the action (uit te zoeken).
I know zoeken means "to search". How does uit change the meaning?
While zoeken means "to look for" or "to search", the separable verb uitzoeken means "to figure out", "to sort out", or "to find out" (like investigating or researching something). It implies a bit more effort than just looking for a lost item.
Why is there no om in this sentence?
We often use om ... te when we want to express "in order to". However, with verbs like proberen (to try), the following action is just what you are attempting to do, not an "in order to" goal. Therefore, you only use te and do not add om.
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