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Ik verander de instelling zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt.

Ik verander de instelling zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt.
I change the setting so that my screen time is automatically limited.
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Questions & Answers about Ik verander de instelling zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt.

Why is it ik verander and not ik veranderen?

In Dutch, the infinitive usually ends in -en (here: veranderen).

To make the ik-form (1st person singular present):

  • take the infinitive veranderen
  • remove -en → verander

So:

  • infinitive: veranderen (to change)
  • ik-form: ik verander (I change / I am changing)

Using ik veranderen would be like saying I to change in English—grammatically wrong.

Why is it de instelling and not het instelling?

Dutch has two grammatical genders for nouns:

  • de-words (common gender)
  • het-words (neuter gender)

The noun instelling happens to be a de-word, so you must say:

  • de instelling (the setting / the configuration / the institution)

You just need to learn the article with each noun:

  • de instelling
  • het scherm (the screen)
  • de tijd (the time)

There is no logical rule that tells you it should be de rather than het here; it’s just part of the word’s dictionary information.

Could it also be de instellingen instead of de instelling?

Grammatically yes, but the meaning changes.

  • de instelling = the setting (one specific option)
  • de instellingen = the settings (the whole settings menu / several options)

So:

  • Ik verander de instelling = I change one particular setting.
  • Ik verander de instellingen = I change (all/some) settings.

In your sentence, using the singular suggests you’re talking about one specific setting that controls screen time.

What exactly does zodat mean, and how is it different from om te?

zodat means so that and introduces a full clause with a conjugated verb:

  • zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt
    → so that my screen time is automatically limited

It can express:

  • purpose (intention): I change the setting in order that my screen time will be limited.
  • result (consequence): I change the setting, with the effect that my screen time is limited.

om te is used with an infinitive, not with a full clause:

  • om mijn schermtijd automatisch te beperken
    → in order to limit my screen time automatically

Both are possible here:

  • Ik verander de instelling zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt.
  • Ik verander de instelling om mijn schermtijd automatisch te beperken.

The version with om … te focuses more clearly on purpose (“in order to…”). zodat is a bit more result-like, but in practice both often overlap.

Why does the verb go to the end of the clause after zodat?

In Dutch, subordinate clauses (introduced by words like omdat, dat, als, zodat, omdat) have a different word order from main clauses:

  • Main clause: the conjugated verb is in second position
    • Ik verander de instelling.
  • Subordinate clause: the verbs go to the end
    • zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt.

Structure of your subordinate clause:

  • subject: mijn schermtijd
  • adverb: automatisch
  • verbs at the end: wordt beperkt

This “verb at the end” rule is one of the biggest differences from English:

  • English: …so that my screen time is automatically limited.
  • Dutch: …zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt.
What exactly is wordt beperkt grammatically, and why is a passive form used?

wordt beperkt is the present passive:

  • auxiliary verb: wordt (3rd person singular of worden)
  • past participle: beperkt (limited, restricted)

So wordt beperkt = is (being) limited / gets limited.

Dutch often uses the passive when:

  • the doer (agent) is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context
  • the focus is on the result or the state

Your sentence focuses on the fact that the screen time ends up limited automatically, not on who or what is limiting it (the system, the app, the phone).

An active version would be something like:

  • …zodat het systeem mijn schermtijd automatisch beperkt.
    → so that the system automatically limits my screen time.

Both are correct, but the passive is very natural when talking about settings and system behavior.

Can I say zodat mijn schermtijd wordt automatisch beperkt instead, like in English word order?

You will hear zodat mijn schermtijd wordt automatisch beperkt, but for a learner the safest and most neutral word order is:

  • zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt.

General beginner-friendly rule for subordinate clauses:

  • put adverbs like automatisch before the verb cluster at the end.

So:

  • ✅ …mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt. (recommended)
  • ⚠️ …mijn schermtijd wordt automatisch beperkt. (possible, but feels less neutral and more “split”)

If you always place adverbs like altijd, vaak, nooit, automatisch before the final verbs in subordinate clauses, you will sound correct and natural in most cases.

What is automatisch in terms of grammar, and where can it appear in the sentence?

automatisch is an adverb here (“automatically”).

In Dutch main clauses with one verb, it typically goes in the “middle field” (between subject and verb, or after the verb, depending on emphasis). In your subordinate clause, it’s placed before the verb cluster:

  • zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt

Other acceptable positions (with different emphasis) include:

  • Mijn schermtijd wordt automatisch beperkt. (neutral)
  • Automatisch wordt mijn schermtijd beperkt. (strong emphasis on “automatic”)

For learners, a good default in both main and subordinate clauses is:

  • subject → other objects → adverbs → verbs

Which is exactly what you have:

  • mijn schermtijd (subject)
  • automatisch (adverb)
  • wordt beperkt (verbs)
Why is schermtijd written as one word and not scherm tijd?

Dutch usually writes compound nouns as one word:

  • scherm (screen) + tijd (time) → schermtijd (screen time)
  • huis
    • deur → huisdeur (house door)
  • tafel
    • blad → tafelblad (tabletop)

Writing scherm tijd would be incorrect and would look like you’re talking about “time that is screen” as two separate words, which doesn’t make sense.

So any fixed combination functioning as a single noun concept is normally written as one word in Dutch.

Does this sentence talk about the present or the future? Why is there no word like “will”?

Grammatically, the verb forms are present tense:

  • ik verander (I change / I am changing)
  • wordt beperkt (is / gets limited)

However, in context it clearly refers to a future effect:

  • you change the setting now, and from now on / in the future your screen time will be limited automatically.

Dutch often uses the present tense to talk about the near future, especially with context that makes the time clear. English can also do this:

  • I change the setting so my screen time is automatically limited.

You could also make the future explicit in Dutch:

  • Ik verander de instelling zodat mijn schermtijd automatisch zal worden beperkt.

But this sounds heavier and is usually unnecessary. The simple present is the most natural here.

Could you leave out mijn and say zodat schermtijd automatisch wordt beperkt?

You should not leave out mijn here.

  • mijn schermtijd = my screen time
  • schermtijd on its own would mean something like screen time (in general), which is too vague and unnatural in this context.

You’re talking specifically about your own usage, so you need the possessive pronoun mijn.