Breakdown of Ik gebruik elke ochtend mintgroene tandpasta om mijn tanden te poetsen.
ik
I
om
for
elke
every
mijn
my
de ochtend
the morning
gebruiken
to use
poetsen
to brush
de tand
the tooth
mintgroen
mint-green
de tandpasta
the toothpaste
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Questions & Answers about Ik gebruik elke ochtend mintgroene tandpasta om mijn tanden te poetsen.
Can I use iedere instead of elke in elke ochtend?
Yes. elke and iedere both mean “every.” In everyday Dutch they’re interchangeable here. iedere is just a bit more formal or emphatic, but you’ll hear both.
Why is there no article before mintgroene tandpasta?
Because you’re talking about toothpaste in general (an uncountable mass/product), not a specific tube. In Dutch, when you refer to a substance or product category in a general sense, you normally drop the article.
Why is mintgroene written as one word and why does it end in -e?
- Dutch forms compound adjectives by sticking the colour and noun together: mintgroen
- tandpasta → mintgroene tandpasta.
- Attributive adjectives get an -e if the noun is a de-word (common gender) or if it’s definite. Since tandpasta is a de-word and indefinite here, you add -e.
What is the function of om … te in om mijn tanden te poetsen?
This is the Dutch purpose construction: om + (object) + te + infinitive = “in order to …”. It tells why you do something (you use toothpaste in order to brush your teeth).
Why isn’t poetsen conjugated in that part of the sentence?
Because poetsen is inside the om … te-infinitive clause. Only the finite verb (gebruik) in the main clause gets conjugated; the verb after te remains in its base (infinitive) form.
How does the word order work for Ik gebruik elke ochtend mintgroene tandpasta …?
Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule:
- Position 1: Subject (Ik)
- Position 2: Finite verb (gebruik)
- Position 3: Time expression (elke ochtend)
- Then the object (mintgroene tandpasta) and the purpose clause.
What if I start the sentence with Om mijn tanden te poetsen? Where does the verb go?
Because of V2, the finite verb must still be second. You get:
Om mijn tanden te poetsen gebruik ik elke ochtend mintgroene tandpasta.
Notice how gebruik comes right after that opening clause, then the subject.
Could I also say Ik poets elke ochtend mijn tanden met mintgroene tandpasta?
Absolutely. That’s a perfectly natural alternative. Here you:
- Use poets as the main verb,
- Place elke ochtend after the verb,
- Introduce the instrument with met.
Both sentences are correct; one focuses on “using toothpaste” to achieve brushing, the other directly on “brushing with toothpaste.”