Breakdown of De band huurt elke vrijdag een oefenruimte om nieuwe liedjes te spelen.
nieuw
new
om
for
elke
every
spelen
to play
een
a, an
de band
the band
huren
to rent
de vrijdag
the Friday
de oefenruimte
the practice room
het liedje
the song
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Questions & Answers about De band huurt elke vrijdag een oefenruimte om nieuwe liedjes te spelen.
How is the verb huren conjugated in De band huurt…?
huren is the infinitive “to rent.” For a third-person singular subject (like de band), you remove -en and add -t, giving huurt. So de band huurt = “the band rents.”
Why is it elke vrijdag and not something like “op vrijdag”?
elke vrijdag means “every Friday.” It’s a fixed adverbial phrase for a recurring event. You could say op vrijdag for “on Fridays” in general, but elke emphasizes that it happens each and every Friday without fail.
Why is it een oefenruimte and not de oefenruimte?
Using een (an/a) makes it an indefinite practice room—i.e. any available room. If you said de oefenruimte, you’d imply there’s one specific, known room you’re referring to.
What does oefenruimte literally mean and how do you break it down?
It’s a compound of oefen (from oefenen, “to practice”) + ruimte (“space/room”). So oefenruimte = “practice room.”
Why are nieuwe liedjes not preceded by an article? And what does liedjes mean?
In Dutch, plural nouns can stand without an article when they’re indefinite: “new songs” in general. liedjes is the diminutive plural of lied (“song”), so it literally means “little songs,” but in practice it just means “songs.”
What is the function of om nieuwe liedjes te spelen in this sentence?
It’s a purpose clause introduced by om…te + infinitive, meaning “in order to…” Here it explains WHY the band rents the room: om nieuwe liedjes te spelen = “in order to play new songs.”
Why is te spelen placed at the very end of the sentence?
In Dutch subordinate clauses (or purpose clauses), all infinitives and separable prefixes gather at the end. Since om nieuwe liedjes te spelen is technically a subordinate purpose clause, the infinitive spelen (with te) goes to the end.
What’s the difference between omdat and om … te?
omdat introduces a causal clause (“because”), explaining a reason. om … te introduces a purpose clause (“in order to”), explaining an intention or goal. In your sentence, the band’s goal is playing new songs, so you use om te spelen, not omdat.