Learn Hardcore Dutch: Anna en ik beloven hem iets lekkers mee te nemen. - Anna and I promise to bring him something tasty.

Beloven means “to promise.” In Dutch word order, the finite verb typically occupies the second position in a main clause. Because Anna en ik is a first‐person plural subject (equivalent to “we”), the verb takes the –en ending: wij beloven → Anna en ik beloven.

Why is beloven placed immediately after Anna en ik?

Dutch is a V2 (verb‐second) language in main clauses. That means the finite verb appears in the second slot. Here, the subject Anna en ik fills the first slot, so beloven comes next.

What does hem refer to, and why isn’t there an aan before it?

Hem is a third‐person singular masculine object pronoun meaning “him.” In Dutch, when you have a direct or indirect object that’s a pronoun, you usually omit the preposition. Here, hem is the indirect object of beloven (you promise something to him), so no aan is needed.

Why does hem precede iets lekkers rather than follow it?

In Dutch, object pronouns typically come before noun phrases. So the pronoun hem (weak form) precedes the noun phrase iets lekkers (strong form).

What is iets lekkers, and why is it phrased this way?

Iets lekkers literally means “something tasty.” Iets = “something,” and lekkers is a nominalized adjective (“tasty thing”). Together, they form a singular, unspecified object.

What does mee te nemen mean, and why is it split from beloven?

Mee te nemen means “to take along” or “to bring.” Dutch uses infinitive chains: the main verb (beloven) is conjugated, and the non‐finite part (meenemen) is split into the particle mee and the infinitive nemen preceded by te, because it follows another verb that governs an infinitive clause. Hence beloven … mee te nemen.

Why is there a te before nemen and not before mee?

In Dutch infinitive clauses with particles, te is placed directly in front of the main infinitive (nemen). The separable prefix (mee) stays adjacent to te nemen but remains the first part of the separable verb, so you get mee te nemen, not te mee nemen.

How does tense and meaning work here—does this describe a present or future action?

Although beloven is in the present tense (“promise”), the action of mee te nemen (bringing something tasty) is planned for the future. The present tense in Dutch can express a future intention when there’s context of planning or scheduling.