Learn Hardcore Dutch: Om te ontspannen, zullen we misschien een film kijken nadat we ons huiswerk af hebben. - To relax, we will maybe watch a movie after we have finished our homework.

Om te ontspannen literally means "in order to relax." In Dutch, starting a sentence with Om te + infinitive emphasizes the purpose or reason for doing something. It’s similar to saying "To relax" at the start of an English sentence.

What does zullen convey here?

Zullen in Dutch often indicates a future or a possibility. In this context, it’s similar to "might" or "will" in English. By saying zullen we misschien ("we might"), the speaker isn’t completely certain—they’re suggesting a plan or possibility rather than a firm decision.

Why is misschien placed after we?

In Dutch word order, adverbs like misschien often come after the subject, especially in main clauses where the verb is in second position. The structure is:
1) Om te ontspannen (introductory phrase)
2) zullen (first verb, in second position)
3) we (subject)
4) misschien (adverb)
5) een film kijken (the rest of the sentence).

What does af hebben mean in this sentence?

Af hebben is an expression meaning "to have finished" something. In this context, we ons huiswerk af hebben means "we have our homework finished." It’s a common way to say that you’ve completed a task.

Why is the reflexive pronoun not used for ons huiswerk?

Huiswerk ("homework") doesn’t take a reflexive pronoun in Dutch because it’s simply a possessive phrase. Ons indicates that the homework belongs to us. Reflexive pronouns (such as zich) are used with verbs that refer back to the subject itself (like zich wassen – "to wash oneself"), not with possessions like homework.

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