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Ik heb slechts tien minuten om te oefenen.

Ik heb slechts tien minuten om te oefenen.
I only have ten minutes to practice.

Breakdown of Ik heb slechts tien minuten om te oefenen.

ik
I
hebben
to have
oefenen
to practice
om
for
tien
ten
de minuut
the minute
slechts
only
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Questions & Answers about Ik heb slechts tien minuten om te oefenen.

What is the function of slechts, and how is it different from alleen or maar?

Slechts is an adverb meaning only or merely, used to mark a small quantity (e.g. slechts tien minuten).

  • It is slightly more formal or neutral than maar, which is very common in speech.
  • Unlike alleen, which can also mean “alone,” slechts purely marks limitation and never carries the sense of “by oneself.”
Where should slechts be placed in the sentence?

Limiting adverbs like slechts, alleen or maar typically appear immediately after the finite verb (here heb) and before what they limit (here tien minuten).
Pattern: Subject – Verb – slechts – Object.
Example: Ik heb slechts tien minuten om te oefenen.

Why is it om te oefenen instead of just te oefenen or om oefenen?

To express purpose (“in order to practice”), Dutch uses om + te + infinitive.

  • Om introduces the purpose clause.
  • Te marks the infinitive verb.
    Without om, the link to purpose is lost: “Ik heb tien minuten te oefenen” sounds ungrammatical.
Can I replace slechts with maar, and is there a nuance?

Yes. You can say:
Ik heb maar tien minuten om te oefenen.
Both mean “I only have ten minutes to practice.”

  • Maar is more colloquial and frequent in speech.
  • Slechts feels slightly more formal or written.
Why is there no article een before tien minuten? Would “Ik heb een tien minuten…” be correct?

With a specific number you omit the article. Tien minuten already expresses the exact amount.

  • Een tien minuten is ungrammatical.
  • You would use een only with a singular, non-numbered noun (e.g. een minuut or vague amounts like een paar minuten).
How can I emphasize the limited time by fronting Slechts tien minuten, and what changes in word order?

You can place Slechts tien minuten at the beginning to stress the small amount. Dutch then follows the verb-second rule, causing inversion:
Slechts tien minuten heb ik om te oefenen.

Can I also front the purpose clause and say Om te oefenen heb ik slechts tien minuten?

Yes. Starting with Om te oefenen (“to practice”) is grammatically correct and somewhat more formal or literary. You still keep verb-second order:
Om te oefenen heb ik slechts tien minuten.