Breakdown of De jongen moet elke dag schrijven om beter te worden.
om
for
elke
every
de dag
the day
beter
better
schrijven
to write
de jongen
the boy
moeten
must
worden
to get
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Questions & Answers about De jongen moet elke dag schrijven om beter te worden.
Why do we say moet instead of moeten or moest?
In Dutch, the verb moeten is conjugated according to the subject and tense. Here, the subject is de jongen (a single person), so we use the third person singular form moet in the present tense. If we had a plural subject such as de jongens (the boys), we would say moeten. Moest would be used for the past tense.
Why do we use elke in elke dag instead of something like elk dag?
In Dutch, the word elk (meaning each/every) agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Dag is a masculine/feminine (de) word, so the correct form is elke dag rather than elk dag. If you were talking about a neuter (het) noun, you might say elk (e.g., elk jaar, every year).
Why is there no extra word like te before schrijven?
In this construction with moet (must), you generally follow the modal verb directly with an infinitive without te. Modal verbs in Dutch include kunnen (can), moeten (must), mogen (may/allowed to), willen (want), and zullen (shall/will). After these verbs, you simply use the base form of the main verb.
What does om do in om beter te worden?
Om ... te ... is used to indicate a purpose or goal, similar to in order to in English. Here, om beter te worden means in order to become better. This phrase shows why he needs to write every day, making the sentence more specific about the reason or goal.
Why is te worden used instead of worden alone?
When using the om ... te ... construction, you must include te before the infinitive. So if you want to say in order to become, you say om beter te worden. Without te, the phrase wouldn’t fit the om ... te + infinitive structure that expresses purpose in Dutch.
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