Breakdown of Tom brengt zijn bagage naar de balie om de koffer af te geven.
Tom
Tom
naar
to
zijn
his
om
for
brengen
to bring
de bagage
the luggage
de balie
the counter
de koffer
the suitcase
afgeven
to hand in
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Questions & Answers about Tom brengt zijn bagage naar de balie om de koffer af te geven.
Why is om … te used here and how does it work?
In Dutch you form a purpose clause with om + te‑infinitive, which translates as “in order to …”. Everything after om goes into the infinitive clause, ending with the verb (or with the verb part if it’s separable). So om de koffer af te geven literally means “in order to hand over the suitcase.”
What is a separable verb and why do we say af te geven instead of afgeven?
A separable verb like afgeven consists of a prefix (af) + a main verb (geven). In a normal main clause the prefix often moves to the end (Tom geeft de koffer af). But in a te‑infinitive clause you split it so that af stays in front of te: af + te + geven = af te geven.
Why do we need naar in brengt zijn bagage naar de balie?
Brengen means “to bring,” but to show direction (“to the counter”) you need the preposition naar (“to”). The typical Dutch word order for a main clause is Subject + Verb + Object + Prepositional phrase.
What’s the difference between bagage and koffer, and why are both used?
Bagage is a mass noun meaning “luggage” in general; it doesn’t take a plural. Koffer is a count noun, “a suitcase.” Here Tom brings all his bagage, specifically to hand in one koffer.
Why is it de koffer and not een koffer?
Even though the suitcase isn’t named earlier in the sentence, it’s clear from context which suitcase Tom means—his own. Dutch uses the definite article (de, het) when the listener can identify the item.
Why is there no article before bagage?
When a noun is directly modified by a possessive pronoun (mijn, jouw, zijn, etc.), you drop the article. You say zijn bagage, not de zijn bagage. Also, as a mass noun, bagage normally wouldn’t take an indefinite article anyway.
Could you express the same idea differently?
Yes, Dutch offers several alternatives for “check in” or “drop off” luggage:
• Tom geeft zijn koffer bij de balie af.
• Tom checkt zijn koffer in bij de balie.
• Tom levert zijn bagage bij de balie in.
All of these mean roughly “Tom hands in/checks in his luggage at the counter.”