Breakdown of In de pauze loop ik even naar buiten om frisse lucht te halen.
Questions & Answers about In de pauze loop ik even naar buiten om frisse lucht te halen.
Dutch has a verb‑second rule (V2) in main clauses: the conjugated verb must be the second element in the sentence.
If the sentence starts with the subject, you get:
Ik loop even naar buiten om frisse lucht te halen.
(Subject ik = element 1, verb loop = element 2)If you move a time expression to the front (an adverbial), that entire phrase counts as one element:
In de pauze = element 1
So the finite verb must now come next:
In de pauze loop ik even naar buiten…
(Verb loop = element 2, subject ik comes after that)
“In de pauze ik loop…” is ungrammatical in Dutch, because then the verb would no longer be in second position.
Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:
In de pauze
Literally “in the break”, very natural and colloquial. It’s what you’d commonly say about a short break at school, work, a meeting, etc.
It strongly suggests: When we have that little break, that’s when I do this.Tijdens de pauze
Literally “during the break”. Also correct, but a bit more neutral or slightly formal. It focuses more on the time span of the break than on the break as a little event.
In everyday speech about your work or school day, “in de pauze” is usually the most natural.
Both are possible, but they have slightly different feels:
lopen = to walk
“loop ik naar buiten” implicitly says how you go: on foot.
It paints a little picture: I walk outside in the break.gaan = to go (more general)
“ga ik naar buiten” only states that you go out, without specifying whether you walk, drive, etc.
In Dutch, using specific movement verbs like lopen, fietsen, rijden is very common when it’s obvious how you move. So in this context, lopen sounds very natural.
even is a small, very common word with a softening and “short time” nuance. Here, it does two things:
Short duration:
It suggests it’s just for a moment:- “I’ll just step outside for a bit / for a moment.”
Politeness / casual tone:
It makes the action sound relaxed and not like a big deal. Without even, the sentence is still correct, but a bit more neutral or blunt.
So:
- Met even: In de pauze loop ik even naar buiten…
→ “In the break, I’ll just quickly step outside…” - Zonder even: In de pauze loop ik naar buiten…
→ More factual, less “light” in tone.
The difference is movement vs location:
naar buiten = to outside / out(wards)
→ you are going from inside to outside. It expresses movement.buiten = outside, as a location
→ you are (or something is) outside.
So:
Ik loop naar buiten.
= I walk (from inside) to outside.Ik ben buiten.
= I am outside.
In the sentence, you’re moving from indoors to outdoors, so “naar buiten” is correct.
The structure om + te + infinitive expresses purpose, similar to English “in order to / to”:
- om frisse lucht te halen
= “(in order) to get some fresh air”
Breakdown:
- om → introduces a purpose clause
- te → comes right before the infinitive verb
- halen → the infinitive verb (“to get / to fetch”)
So the pattern is:
[main clause] + om + [object] + te + [infinitive]
Ik ga naar buiten om frisse lucht te halen.
= I go outside to get some fresh air.
Without om, you usually can’t express purpose this way.
The expression “frisse lucht halen” is a fixed, idiomatic collocation in Dutch. It’s the natural way to say:
- “to get some fresh air”
- “to go out for some fresh air”
Other options:
frisse lucht ademen — literally “to breathe fresh air”
Grammatically fine, but sounds more literal, less like what people naturally say for this everyday action.frisse lucht krijgen — “to get/receive fresh air”
Also possible, but less idiomatic than frisse lucht halen in this context.
So halen is chosen because Dutch speakers commonly say “even frisse lucht halen” for going outside to refresh yourself.
Yes, “om frisse lucht te krijgen” is grammatically correct and understandable:
- om frisse lucht te krijgen = in order to get fresh air
- om frisse lucht te halen = in order to get/fetch fresh air
However:
- “frisse lucht halen” is the more idiomatic, common expression in this situation.
- “frisse lucht krijgen” might sound slightly more neutral or descriptive, and a bit less like a set phrase.
So you can say “om frisse lucht te krijgen”, but native speakers will more often say “om (even) frisse lucht te halen” here.
In Dutch, infinitive verbs (and other non‑finite verb forms) generally go to the end of a clause. A purpose clause with om … te counts as its own (subordinate‑like) clause, so:
- om → start of the purpose clause
- frisse lucht → object
- te halen → goes to the end of that clause
So:
om + [object / other material] + te + [infinitive at the end]
om frisse lucht te halen
This verb‑final position is a core feature of Dutch word order in subordinate and similar clauses.
Yes, that sentence is also fully correct:
- Ik loop in de pauze even naar buiten om frisse lucht te halen.
- In de pauze loop ik even naar buiten om frisse lucht te halen.
Both mean the same thing. The difference is focus / emphasis:
Starting with Ik:
Neutral, simple statement about yourself. Slightly more focus on who does it.Starting with In de pauze:
Highlights when it happens. You’re presenting the time frame as the “starting point” of the information:
As for the break — that’s when I step outside…
In everyday conversation, both orders are natural; speakers choose the one that fits what they want to emphasize.