Het uur na het werk is belangrijk om te ontspannen.

to be

Breakdown of Het uur na het werk is belangrijk om te ontspannen.

• belangrijk: important
• om: for
• het werk: the work
• na: after
• ontspannen: to relax
• het uur: the hour

Questions & Answers about Het uur na het werk is belangrijk om te ontspannen.

Why is uur paired with the definite article het here (rather than de)?

In Dutch, some nouns take het and others take de. The word uur always takes het when referring to a specific hour or unit of time in a general sense (e.g., het uur, het halfuur). There isn’t a simple rule for knowing which words are het-words or de-words; it largely has to be memorized or learned through usage.

Why is the sentence structured as Het uur na het werk and not Na het werk het uur?

Dutch typically follows a Subject–Verb–Object word order, but it can often place temporal references or adverbs at the beginning for emphasis. Here, the sentence starts with Het uur na het werk as the subject. You could technically say Na het werk is het uur belangrijk om te ontspannen, but the emphasis would shift slightly. The given structure focuses on Het uur as a block of time, then describes that block as being “important to relax.”

Why do we see om te ontspannen instead of just ontspannen?

In Dutch, om + te + infinitive often indicates purpose or intention, similar to “in order to” in English. It explains why something is important. Without om te, the sentence would lose that sense of purpose. Compare: • Het uur na het werk is belangrijk om te ontspannen. (The hour after work is important in order to relax.)
• Het uur na het werk is belangrijk ontspannen. (This would be grammatically incorrect and fails to convey the intended meaning.)

Is ontspannen used in the passive or active sense in this sentence?

Here, ontspannen is used in its active infinitive form to describe what one does during that hour. It means “to relax” in a general, active sense. There is no passive element involved; it simply states that the hour after work is important for relaxation.

Could we replace om te ontspannen with om te rusten?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly. Om te rusten focuses more on resting or recuperating physically. Om te ontspannen is broader and can include activities that help you rest mentally, emotionally, and physically (e.g., reading, meditating, taking a walk). Both are correct in a grammatical sense, but their connotations differ.