Ik laat de bloemen drogen in de schuur.

I let the flowers dry in the shed.

Breakdown of Ik laat de bloemen drogen in de schuur.

• ik: I
• in: in
• de schuur: the shed
• de bloem: the flower
• laten: to let
• drogen: to dry

Questions & Answers about Ik laat de bloemen drogen in de schuur.

What does the verb laten mean in this sentence?

Here laten is used as a causative verb meaning “to let” or “to have something happen.” In Ik laat de bloemen drogen, you’re not drying the flowers yourself but rather “letting” or “having” them dry (often by leaving them somewhere suitable).

Why is drogen in the infinitive form and not conjugated?

After a conjugated form of laten, Dutch keeps the second verb in the basic infinitive form. So you say laat … drogen, not laat … droogt or laat … droog. This mirrors English “let dry.”

Why do we use de before bloemen and schuur?

De is the definite article for common‐gender singular nouns and all plural nouns.

• de bloemen = “the flowers” (plural, definite)
• de schuur = “the barn” (singular, common gender, definite)

Can I omit the article before bloemen or schuur?

• Bloemen is plural indefinite, so you can drop the article: Ik laat bloemen drogen… means “I let (some) flowers dry…”
• Schuur is singular indefinite, so you need een: in een schuur (“in a barn”). Saying in schuur is ungrammatical in Dutch.

Why is it in de schuur instead of naar de schuur?

• in de schuur indicates location (where the drying happens): “inside the barn.”
• naar de schuur indicates direction or motion toward the barn: “to the barn.”

Is this sentence in the passive voice?

No. It’s an active causative construction. A true passive would be:
De bloemen worden in de schuur gedroogd.
(“The flowers are being dried in the barn.”)

How would I say “I dry the flowers in the barn” if I want to emphasize that I’m doing it myself?

Use the active verb drogen instead of laten:
Ik droog de bloemen in de schuur.

Can I move in de schuur to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Dutch allows fronting of adverbials but keeps the conjugated verb in second position:
In de schuur laat ik de bloemen drogen.