Breakdown of Het is belangrijk om water te geven aan de planten.
zijn
to be
het
it
belangrijk
important
om
for
aan
to
de plant
the plant
water geven
to water
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Questions & Answers about Het is belangrijk om water te geven aan de planten.
Why is there “om” before “water te geven”?
In Dutch, when you have a full clause functioning as an object after adjectives like belangrijk, you often introduce it with om + infinitive. So om water te geven literally marks the purpose or action (“in order to give water”).
Can I leave out “om” and just say “Het is belangrijk water te geven aan de planten”?
Yes. In everyday speech you can omit om after belangrijk, especially if the sentence remains clear. Both versions are correct:
- Het is belangrijk om water te geven…
- Het is belangrijk water te geven…
Why does “geven” appear at the end of the clause?
Dutch subordinate clauses (here introduced by om) use verb-final word order. So the infinitive geven moves to the end:
- Main clause: Het is belangrijk
- Subordinate clause: om water te geven aan de planten
Why is it “aan de planten” instead of just “de planten”?
The verb geven requires an indirect object—what or who receives something. In Dutch you use the preposition aan for that. Hence:
- water geven (give water)
- aan de planten (to the plants)
Why do we say “de planten” and not “het planten”?
Planten is plural (more than one plant). Plural nouns always take de in Dutch. Het is only used with singular neuter nouns (het huis, het boek).
Could I say “Het is belangrijk aan de planten water te geven”?
Yes. You can swap water and aan de planten because both are objects and their order is flexible in Dutch:
- het is belangrijk om water te geven aan de planten
- het is belangrijk om aan de planten water te geven
What’s the difference between “geven” and “schenken” for watering?
Geven is the general verb “to give” and fits most contexts, including giving water. Schenken often implies pouring as a deliberate act (you schenkt wine). For watering plants, geven is more natural.