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Ik moet het formulier invullen.

Ik moet het formulier invullen.
I have to fill in the form.
FromLesson 20inHardcore Dutch
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Breakdown of Ik moet het formulier invullen.

ik
I
moeten
must
het formulier
the form
invullen
to fill in

Questions & Answers about Ik moet het formulier invullen.

Why is invullen at the end of the sentence?

In Dutch main clauses with a modal verb (here moet), the infinitive of the main verb goes to the very end. The pattern is:
• Subject – finite verb (modal) – objects/adverbials – infinite verb.
So Ik moet (I must) … het formulier invullen (fill in the form).

Why is the article het used before formulier?
Dutch has two definite articles: de and het. You use het with neuter singular nouns. Formulier is a neuter noun, so it takes het. If it were a common‐gender noun (like stoel, “chair”), you’d say de stoel.
Why doesn’t the separable verb invullen split into vul … in here?

Normally, in a simple main clause without a modal you would split:
“Ik vul het formulier in.”
But when you add a modal (moet), the full infinitive (prefix + verb) stays together at the end:
“Ik moet het formulier invullen.”

What’s the rule for placing het formulier before invullen?

With a modal verb you have two verbs in the clause. Dutch word order puts the object(s) immediately after the finite verb and before the infinitive. So you get:

  1. Ik (subject)
  2. moet (finite/modal verb)
  3. het formulier (object)
  4. invullen (infinitive/main verb)
Why is the verb moet and not moeten?
Moeten is the infinitive (“to have to”). For first‐person singular (ik) in the present tense, you conjugate it to moet. Dutch verb endings change according to subject/person.
How do you pronounce moet and invullen?

• moet: sounds like [mut], where “oo” is a close-back rounded vowel.
• invullen: [ˈɪnˌvʏ.lən], with a short “i” like the “i” in English “sit” and the “u” like the German “ü”.

Can you replace het formulier with a pronoun?

Yes. Since formulier is neuter singular, you use the object pronoun het. The sentence becomes:
“Ik moet het invullen.”
The pronoun still sits between moet and invullen.

What’s the difference between vullen and invullen?

• vullen means “to fill” in a general sense (e.g. fill a glass: Ik vul het glas).
• invullen is a separable verb meaning “to fill in” or “complete” (e.g. fill in a form or blanks). The prefix in- adds the sense of “into” something like a form.

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