The Dutch bare infinitive: the second verb without a marker
Modal verbs are helpers that express ability, obligation, permission, intention, or prediction. After them and several other common verbs, use the dictionary form without te (the infinitive marker).
Ik kan zwemmen. (I can swim.) uses zwemmen (to swim) as a bare infinitive: the dictionary form without te (the infinitive marker). Ik probeer te zwemmen. (I try to swim.) uses the te-infinitive instead. The first verb and its meaning determine which pattern follows.
How do you place a bare infinitive in a main clause?
Ik ga vanavond koken. (I am going to cook tonight.) puts the conjugated helper in second position and the bare infinitive in the final verb cluster (the group of verbs at the end).
- Conjugate the first verb for the subject: Wij kunnen ... (We can ...).
- Use the second verb in its dictionary form: ... morgen komen. (... come tomorrow.)
- Put the other sentence information between the two verb positions: Wij kunnen morgen komen. (We can come tomorrow.)
With more verbs, keep the final verbs together in the verb cluster: Ik wil je iets laten zien. (I want to show you something.)
Which common verbs take a bare infinitive?
Je moet nu gaan. (You have to leave now.) shows the core modal verb pattern: the five modal verbs in the first row take the next infinitive directly.
| First verb or group | Use | Example | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modal verbs: kunnen (can), moeten (must / have to), mogen (may / be allowed), willen (want), zullen (will / shall) | Ability, obligation, permission, intention, or prediction | Je moet nu gaan. (You have to leave now.) | Use the bare infinitive directly. Hoeven (to need to) follows a different rule in a simple clause. |
| blijven (to stay / keep) | An action continues or repeats | Hij blijft praten. (He keeps talking.) | The subject continues the action named by the infinitive. |
| gaan (to go) | Movement to an activity, the start of an action, or a future action | We gaan vanavond koken. (We are going to cook tonight.) | The precise meaning comes from the context, but the following activity infinitive is bare. |
| komen (to come) | Movement to an activity | Ze komt vanavond eten. (She is coming to eat tonight.) | Komen te often marks a result outside the subject's choice: Tijdens de wandeling kwam hij te vallen. (He fell during the walk.) |
| laten (to let / make / have done) | Permission, causation, or arranging a service | Ik laat mijn fiets repareren. (I am having my bicycle repaired.) | The person who performs the repair can stay unstated. |
| Perception verbs: zien (to see), horen (to hear), voelen (to feel) | Direct sensory perception | Ik hoor de buren zingen. (I hear the neighbours singing.) | When the noun before the infinitive names the actor, that noun performs the second action. |
| helpen (to help), leren (to learn / teach) | Assistance, learning, or teaching | Ze helpt me koken. (She helps me cook.); Ik leer zwemmen. (I am learning to swim.) | Both can also appear with a separate (om) te clause. The structures are not interchangeable in every context. |
The table covers common A2 patterns, not every bare-infinitive construction. Check the first verb and its meaning. The next verb can be bare, take te, or form an om te construction (in order to).
Who performs the action after perception verbs and laten?
The noun before the infinitive can name who performs the second action. In a service construction with laten, that performer can stay unstated.
| Construction | Example | Performer of the infinitive | Other role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perception verb | Ik hoor de kinderen lachen. (I hear the children laughing.) | de kinderen (the children) | No additional participant is named. |
| laten with a named performer | Ik laat Noor de brief lezen. (I let Noor read the letter.) | Noor | de brief (the letter) receives the action. |
| laten for a service | Ik laat mijn fiets repareren. (I am having my bicycle repaired.) | An unstated repairer | mijn fiets (my bicycle) receives the action. |
When do helpen and leren allow te?
Helpen can use a bare infinitive or a separate te-infinitive clause. With leren, the pattern depends on the meaning.
| First verb | Construction | Example | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| helpen (to help) | Bare infinitive | Ik help hem de auto wassen. (I help him wash the car.) | The act of helping and the assisted action form one verb cluster. |
| helpen (to help) | Separate te-infinitive clause | Ik help hem de auto te wassen. (I help him to wash the car.) | Do not assume it works in every context where the bare pattern works. |
| leren (to learn / teach) | Normally bare for a taught skill | Zij leert lezen. (She is learning to read.) | Other meanings can allow a separate (om) te clause. |
When do modals omit te, but hoeven keeps it?
Ik wil slapen. (I want to sleep.) uses the bare infinitive after willen (to want). English uses to here, but Dutch uses the second verb without an infinitive marker. The form Ik wil te slapen is incorrect.
Je hoeft niet te komen. (You do not need to come.) keeps te after hoeven (to need to) in a simple two-verb clause. In larger verb clusters, Dutch can omit te under specific conditions, so this rule is limited to the simple pattern taught here.
- Complete the sentence: *Ik kan goed ___.* (I can cook well.)
- *te koken*
- *koken*
- *om te koken*
- *gekookt*
*Kunnen* (can) is a modal verb, so it takes the bare infinitive *koken* (to cook): *Ik kan goed koken.* (I can cook well.)
- Which sentence correctly uses *laten* (to have something done)?
- *Hij laat zijn auto te wassen.*
- *Hij laat zijn auto wassen.*
- *Hij laat zijn auto om te wassen.*
- *Hij laat zijn auto gewassen.*
*Laten* takes a bare infinitive: *Hij laat zijn auto wassen.* (He is having his car washed.) The person washing the car stays unstated.
- Why is there no *te* in *Ik hoor de kinderen spelen.* (I hear the children playing.)?
- *Horen* is a perception verb and takes a bare infinitive for direct perception.
- The sentence is too short for *te*.
- *Spelen* is already plural.
- *Te* is only used in questions.
*Horen* (to hear) can take a bare infinitive for direct sensory perception. In this sentence, *de kinderen* (the children) perform *spelen* (to play).
- Which first verb normally needs *te* before a following infinitive?
- *willen* (to want)
- *gaan* (to go)
- *proberen* (to try)
- *blijven* (to keep)
*Proberen* (to try) normally takes a *te*-infinitive: *Ik probeer te komen.* (I am trying to come.) The other three can take a bare infinitive in the meanings taught above.
- Complete the sentence: *Je hoeft vandaag niet ___.* (You do not need to work today.)
- *te werken*
- *werken*
- *om werken*
- *gewerkt*
In a simple two-verb clause, *hoeven* (to need to) takes *te*: *Je hoeft vandaag niet te werken.* (You do not need to work today.)
Test yourself
Question 1 of 5
Complete the sentence: Ik kan goed ___. (I can cook well.)