Word
Ik ga naar de markt om melk te kopen.
Meaning
I am going to the market to buy milk.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Ik ga naar de markt om melk te kopen.
Why is the verb kopen at the end of the sentence?
Because Dutch uses the om + infinitive construction to express purpose. In this “to-infinitive” clause, the infinitive verb always goes to the very end of the sentence.
What do om and te do in om melk te kopen?
They work together to introduce a purpose clause. The basic pattern is:
• om = “in order”
• te = marker for the infinitive verb
So om + [object] + te + [infinitive] means “in order to …”
Why do we say naar de markt? Could we use in or op instead?
• naar expresses motion toward a place (“to the market”).
• in de markt or op de markt would mean “inside the market” or “at/on the market” (a location), not movement.
Why is there no article before melk in om melk te kopen?
Because melk is an uncountable mass noun when you mean “some milk” in general. Dutch omits the article for unspecified quantities. If you want a specific amount, you’d say, for example, om een liter melk te kopen.
How does Dutch express future actions with the present tense, as in ?