Om ... te + infinitive

Om ... te + infinitive to express purpose

The combination om ... te + infinitive expresses purpose (as in English ‘in order to') and is used widely. It is not a difficult construction and you will not find it complicated to understand or use. The phrase begins with om and ends with te + infinitive.

Some examples:

Sommige mensen gaan naar de kroeg om vrienden te ontmoeten.
Some people go the bar (in order) to meet friends.

Alan belt Simone om een afspraak te maken.
Alan rings Simone (in order) to make an appointment.

Karin en Simone gaan naar de slager om varkenslappen te kopen.
Karin and Simone go to the butcher (in order) to buy pork steaks.

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(Om ...) te + infinitive with specific verbs

There is another type of construction in Dutch where om … te + infinitive is used. Here, however, the word om is not necessary and is often omitted. Here, the construction does NOT express purpose. It is only possible with specific verbs (e.g. besluiten).

Ze besluiten (om) boodschappen te doen. They decide to do the shopping.

 

In the spoken language om is more frequently used than in writing.

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