Om mijn herinnering aan het feest levend te houden, zal ik iets tekenen.

To keep my memory of the party alive, I will draw something.

Breakdown of Om mijn herinnering aan het feest levend te houden, zal ik iets tekenen.

• ik: I
• mijn: my
• de herinnering: the memory
• het feest: the party
• levend: alive
• houden: to keep
• tekenen: to draw
• iets: something

Questions & Answers about Om mijn herinnering aan het feest levend te houden, zal ik iets tekenen.

Why is the phrase om … te … used at the start of the sentence?

In Dutch, om … te … is a common construction to express purpose or intent. It translates roughly to “in order to” in English. Here, it indicates that the action of drawing (tekenen) is done with the purpose of keeping the memory alive.

What does aan mean in herinnering aan het feest?

The preposition aan here is used to link the idea of the memory (herinnering) to its specific subject (het feest). It’s similar to saying “memory of the party” in English. In Dutch, herinnering aan is a set phrase that connects the concept of a memory with what it’s about.

Why is levend te houden used instead of just houden?

The phrase levend te houden literally means “to keep alive.” It underlines the idea of actively preserving or sustaining something (in this case, the memory). If you only used houden, it would carry a different meaning, more like “to keep” in a general sense, rather than “keep it alive.”

What’s the difference between zal ik iets tekenen and ik zal iets tekenen in this context?

Both forms are acceptable. Ik zal iets tekenen is a straightforward future statement (“I will draw something”). Zal ik iets tekenen inverts the subject and the verb, which can make it sound a little more emphatic or stylistic, especially following the introductory clause Om … te houden. These subtle variations often come down to personal preference and flow in Dutch.

Why is iets used, and not a more specific word like een tekening?

Using iets (“something”) focuses on the act of drawing without specifying exactly what will be drawn. It leaves the creation open-ended. If the speaker were sure about drawing a specific thing (like a birthday cake), they might say een taart tekenen. But iets simply conveys that “something” will be drawn for the purpose of keeping the memory alive.