Breakdown of Anna geeft Tom een verrekijker om de vogels in de tuin beter te zien.
Anna
Anna
Tom
Tom
in
in
zien
to see
om
for
beter
better
de tuin
the garden
een
a, an
de vogel
the bird
geven
to give
de verrekijker
the binoculars
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Questions & Answers about Anna geeft Tom een verrekijker om de vogels in de tuin beter te zien.
Why is there no preposition before Tom?
In Dutch, the indirect object (Tom) can appear directly before the direct object (een verrekijker) without a preposition. This is called the dative construction. If you prefer, you can add aan and switch the order: Anna geeft een verrekijker aan Tom.
Can I also say Anna geeft een verrekijker aan Tom?
Yes. By placing the direct object first (een verrekijker), you normally add the preposition aan before the indirect object. Both sentences mean the same, but the word order dictates whether aan is needed.
What does the structure om … te + infinitive mean in om de vogels in de tuin beter te zien?
The pattern om … te + infinitive expresses purpose (in order to). You introduce the purpose with om, then finish with te plus the infinitive verb. Here it shows why Anna gives the binoculars: to see the birds in the garden better.
Why does te zien come at the end of the clause?
In Dutch, non-finite verbs in an om-te clause go to the end. You list any objects or adverbials first, then te + infinitive at the very end.
Why is there no explicit subject in the om … te zien clause?
An om-te clause is a non-finite clause, so it doesn’t need its own subject. The subject (“Anna”) is understood to be the same as in the main clause.
Why is beter used here, and not something like meer goed?
Goed is the base form; its comparative adverb is beter. So to say “see more clearly,” you use beter. Meer goed would be ungrammatical in Dutch.
Why are de vogels and in de tuin both introduced by de?
Vogels is plural, and all plural nouns take de. Tuin is a de-woord in the singular. We use the definite article because the sentence refers to specific birds in a specific garden.
Why is verrekijker singular when English uses the plural “binoculars”?
Dutch often treats optical instruments as singular compound nouns. Verrekijker literally means “far-viewer,” and it’s singular even though it has two lenses. English tradition, by contrast, uses the plural binoculars.