Breakdown of Zonne-energie helpt ons om energie te besparen.
om
for
de energie
the energy
helpen
to help
ons
us
besparen
to save
de zonne-energie
the solar energy
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Questions & Answers about Zonne-energie helpt ons om energie te besparen.
Why is there a hyphen in zonne-energie, and what does the extra -e- do?
In Dutch compounds you often see a linking vowel (-e- or -en-) inserted to ease pronunciation between two words. Here zon (sun) takes the linking -e- to become zonne-, and a hyphen clarifies the break before energie (which also begins with e). Without it you’d get zonenergie, which is harder to read and pronounce.
Why does the verb helpt end in -t, and why is it right after the subject?
In the present tense, a third-person singular subject (he/she/it) takes a -t on the verb in Dutch. Since zonne-energie is “it,” helpen becomes helpt. Dutch main clauses normally follow Subject–Verb–Object order, so you get Zonne-energie helpt ons … (“Solar energy helps us …”).
Why is there no article (de or het) before zonne-energie or energie?
When talking about something in a general or abstract sense, Dutch usually drops the article. Here zonne-energie and energie refer to the concept of solar energy and energy in general, not a specific instance. If you wanted to specify, you could say de zonne-energie or de energie, but that shifts the meaning to something definite.
What kind of clause is om energie te besparen, and why does besparen appear at the end?
om energie te besparen is an infinitive clause introduced by om to express purpose (“in order to save energy”). In Dutch subordinate and infinitive clauses, the verb (here the infinitive besparen) goes to the end.
Why do we use om before te + infinitive, and can I omit om in this sentence?
To form a purpose clause you generally use om + te + infinitive. However, verbs like helpen allow you to bypass om and go straight to te + infinitive, so you could also say Zonne-energie helpt ons energie te besparen. Dropping om still means “helps us save energy,” without explicitly “in order to.”
What’s the difference between besparen and sparen, and why do we use besparen here?
Although both can translate as “to save,” they’re used differently:
• sparen = to save up or accumulate (money, stamps, points).
• besparen = to reduce usage or consumption (energy, time, resources).
Since we’re talking about using less energy, the correct verb is besparen.
Is it okay to repeat energie twice? How could I avoid the repetition?
Repeating a noun for clarity is perfectly fine in Dutch. If you want to avoid the repeat, replace the second energie with the pronoun het (referring back to energy) and place it before te:
Zonne-energie helpt ons om het te besparen.