Breakdown of Zij koopt een museumkaart om vaker gratis naar binnen te kunnen.
zij
she
naar
to
kopen
to buy
om
for
een
a, an
kunnen
to be able to
vaker
more often
binnen
inside
gratis
free
de museumkaart
the museum card
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Questions & Answers about Zij koopt een museumkaart om vaker gratis naar binnen te kunnen.
Why does the sentence start with Zij instead of Ze?
In Dutch both zij and ze mean “she.” You typically use ze in casual speech. Zij appears at the beginning of a sentence or when you want to emphasize the subject. Here Zij koopt... could simply sound more formal or place a bit more focus on “she” as the one doing the buying.
What is the purpose of om ... te in this sentence?
Om ... te introduces a purpose clause, equivalent to “in order to…” in English. It links the main action (koopt) with its goal. So om vaker gratis naar binnen te kunnen means “in order to be able to go inside for free more often.”
Why is the verb kunnen placed at the end of the clause?
In Dutch subordinate clauses (like those introduced by om), the infinitive verb—here the modal kunnen—moves to the end. The structure is om + (other elements) + te + kunnen.
Why don’t we see the verb gaan (“to go”) after kunnen?
Dutch speakers often omit gaan when the action is clear from context. Naar binnen kunnen already implies “being able to enter.” If you prefer to be explicit, you can say om vaker gratis naar binnen te kunnen gaan with exactly the same meaning.
Where does the adverb vaker (“more often”) belong, and why is it placed there?
Adverbs like vaker typically precede the rest of the infinitive clause. In a purpose clause the order is: om + adverb (vaker) + other elements + te + verb (kunnen).
What does gratis naar binnen kunnen mean exactly?
Gratis means “for free,” naar binnen literally “to inside,” and kunnen “to be able.” Together gratis naar binnen kunnen means “to be able to enter for free.”
Could I use zodat ze vaker gratis naar binnen kan instead of om…te kunnen?
Yes. Using zodat plus a finite verb is another way to express purpose:
Zij koopt een museumkaart zodat ze vaker gratis naar binnen kan.
Both are correct; om…te is more concise, while zodat makes the secondary clause an independent clause with its own subject and verb.
Why is museumkaart one word instead of museum kaart?
Dutch frequently combines related nouns into compounds. Museumkaart is a single compound noun meaning “museum card.” Writing museum kaart as two words would be incorrect.
Why does the sentence use een museumkaart (a museum card) instead of de museumkaart (the museum card)?
When you introduce something for the first time, Dutch uses the indefinite article een (“a”). If you later refer to that specific card, you could switch to de museumkaart (“the museum card”). In this standalone sentence, een museumkaart is the natural choice.