Learn Hardcore Dutch: Ik beloof om elke dag te oefenen.

In Dutch, when you want to attach an infinitive clause to many verbs (especially to indicate purpose or intention), you often introduce it with om + te + infinitive. Here om elke dag te oefenen literally means “in order to practice every day.” Technically, with beloven you can drop om and say ik beloof elke dag te oefenen, but many speakers include om to highlight the infinitive clause.

Can I really omit om and just say Ik beloof elke dag te oefenen?

Yes. Beloven is one of the Dutch verbs that allows a bare infinitive with te (no om). Both forms are grammatically correct:

Ik beloof om elke dag te oefenen.
Ik beloof elke dag te oefenen.
There’s no major difference in meaning; using om is slightly more formal or explicit about “why” you’re promising.

Why does te oefenen appear at the very end of the sentence?

Dutch subordinate clauses—like the one introduced by om—follow an SOV pattern (Subject–Object–Verb). In an infinitive clause the finite marker te and the main verb oefenen count together as the verb complex, so they go at the clause’s end:
… om | elke dag | te oefenen.

Could I place elke dag somewhere else in the sentence?

If you move elke dag into the main clause (e.g. Ik beloof elke dag om te oefenen), it can sound like you’re promising every day rather than promising to practice every day. By keeping elke dag inside the om…te clause, you clearly indicate that the frequency applies to practicing, not to the act of promising.

What does elke dag modify here—my promising or my practicing?

It modifies your practicing. In om elke dag te oefenen, the temporal adverb elke dag tells you how often you will practice, not how often you promise.

Why not use a dat-clause after beloven, like Ik beloof dat ik elke dag zal oefenen?

You can! Dutch allows two common structures after beloven:

beloven om + te-infinitive (concise, purpose-style)
beloven dat + finite clause (explicit, uses a conjugated verb)
Both mean “I promise that I will…,” but the om te version is more compact and often used in spoken or written goals.

How do you conjugate beloven in other persons?

Here’s the present-tense conjugation of beloven (to promise):
• Ik beloof
• Jij/u belooft
• Hij/zij/het belooft
• Wij/jullie/zij beloven

Can I use dagelijks instead of elke dag, and if so, where does it go?

Yes. Dagelijks is an adverb meaning “daily.” You can replace elke dag with dagelijks, but its position shifts slightly:
• Ik beloof om dagelijks te oefenen.
Or, without om:
• Ik beloof dagelijks te oefenen.

Is oefenen transitive or intransitive? Could I say Ik oefen Nederlands?

Oefenen is normally intransitive (“to practice”), but you can attach an object when you specify what you’re practicing. For example:
• Ik oefen elke dag mijn Nederlands.
• Ik oefen Nederlands.
In om elke dag te oefenen, the object is implied (you know what you’re practicing), so it stays intransitive.