Ik bel de trainer om advies te vragen.

I call the trainer to ask for advice.

Breakdown of Ik bel de trainer om advies te vragen.

• ik: I
• om: for
• vragen: to ask
• het advies: the advice
• bellen: to call
• de trainer: the trainer

Questions & Answers about Ik bel de trainer om advies te vragen.

What does bellen mean in this sentence?

In this context, bellen means “to call” (on the phone). So Ik bel de trainer = I call the coach / I’m calling the coach.

Why do we use om…te before vragen?

The om...te + infinitive construction expresses purpose (like “in order to…”). Here, om advies te vragen means “in order to ask for advice.”

What is the correct word order inside om...te clauses with an object?

Inside an om...te clause, the order is:

• om (introduces purpose)
• object (if any, e.g. advies)
• te
• infinitive (e.g. vragen)

So: om advies te vragen.

Why is the om...te clause at the end of the sentence?

In Dutch, clauses introduced by om (purpose clauses) generally follow the main clause. You first state who does what (Ik bel de trainer), then why (om advies te vragen).

How would you include a pronoun like hem to say “I call the trainer to ask him for advice”?

You place the pronoun hem as the indirect object before the noun in the subordinate clause:

• Ik bel de trainer om hem advies te vragen.

How do you make this sentence negative (“I’m not calling the trainer to ask for advice”)?

Place niet before the om...te clause:

• Ik bel de trainer niet om advies te vragen.

This means “I’m not calling the coach in order to ask for advice.”

Can I start the sentence with the om...te clause? How does inversion work?

Yes. If you front the om...te clause, you invert the subject and the verb in the main clause:

• Om advies te vragen bel ik de trainer.
  (This emphasizes the purpose.)

Why doesn’t this sentence use voor advies instead of om advies te vragen?

You can say Ik bel de trainer voor advies (“I’m calling the coach for advice”), but:

• voor + noun is like English “for advice” (no verb).
• om te + verb expresses purpose with an action (“to ask for advice”).

I know vragen usually takes om as in vragen om hulp. Why isn’t there vragen om advies here (two “om”s)?

In a purpose clause, you use one om to introduce it. You then put the object directly after that om, followed by te + infinitive. So:

• vragen om advies is a main-clause pattern.
• om advies te vragen is a purpose clause.
  You wouldn’t repeat om twice.

How would you say this in the past tense (“I called the trainer to ask for advice”)?

You have two common options:

• Simple past: Ik belde de trainer om advies te vragen.
• Present perfect: Ik heb de trainer gebeld om advies te vragen.

Make sure the om...te clause stays unchanged.