Ik laat brood thuis bezorgen.

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Breakdown of Ik laat brood thuis bezorgen.

• het brood: the bread
• thuis: at home
• laten bezorgen: to have delivered

Questions & Answers about Ik laat brood thuis bezorgen.

What is the function of laten + infinitive in this sentence?

Laten here is a causative verb—it shows that you arrange for someone else to do the action (in this case, delivering the bread). Grammatically, laten is the finite verb in second position, and it takes another verb (bezorgen) in the infinitive at the very end.

Why does bezorgen appear at the very end of the sentence?

Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (laat) goes in second position, and all non-finite verbs (infinitives or participles) shift to the end. Since bezorgen is the infinitive complement of laten, it ends up last.

What is thuis here—an adverb or part of a prepositional phrase—and why is it placed before bezorgen?

Thuis is a place adverb meaning at home. In Dutch, adverbs of place normally appear after the direct object but before the non-finite verb. Hence the order: brood (object) → thuis (place adverb) → bezorgen (infinitive).

Could I say Ik laat thuis brood bezorgen instead?

Technically you can, but the unmarked, more natural order is Ik laat brood thuis bezorgen. Standard word order in Dutch main clauses is subject – finite verb – object – adverb – infinitive. Putting thuis immediately after laat shifts focus and sounds marked.