A normal subordinate clause has its own subject and verb: Toen ik gegeten had, ging ik weg (when I had eaten, I left). A reduced clause is shorter. The subject drops out and the verb changes form: Na gegeten te hebben, ging ik weg. English does the same with "after eating, I left".
You may already know te plus the infinitive (the full verb, like slapen or werken): ik probeer te slapen. This page adds three patterns: om ... te, door/zonder/na ... te and a clause that starts with a participle.
Three kinds of reduced clause
| Kind | Reduced | English |
|---|---|---|
| om ... te (purpose) | Hij rende om de trein te halen. | He ran to catch the train. |
| door, zonder or na ... te | Door hard te oefenen, werd zij pianist. | By practising hard, she became a pianist. |
| with a participle | Lachend om de grap, liep hij de trap op. | Laughing at the joke, he walked up the stairs. |
Om te or just te?
Use om ... te for a purpose: it answers "why?" or "what for?". It is like "in order to". Om also follows a noun: een ladder om het raam te bereiken (a ladder to reach the window). It also follows te plus an adjective: Hij is te verlegen om iets te vragen (he is too shy to ask anything).
Sometimes the te-infinitive just completes a verb. There is no purpose. Then there is no om. This is the case after blijken (turn out), lijken and schijnen (seem) and beginnen (begin). After hopen, durven and weigeren (hope, dare, refuse) you also use just te.
Purpose: om ... te
- Hij rende naar het perron om de trein te halen.
- We hebben een ladder nodig om het raam te bereiken.
- Hij is te verlegen om iets te vragen.
The verb asks for te
- De cijfers blijken te kloppen. (The figures turn out to be right.)
- De situatie dreigde te ontsporen. (The situation threatened to get out of hand.)
- Het kind begon te huilen. (The child began to cry.)
- Zij hoopt te verhuizen. (She hopes to move.)
Door, zonder and na
A preposition plus te and the infinitive can replace a whole clause. Door means "by ...ing", zonder means "without ...ing" and na means "after ...ing".
| Word | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| door | Door elke dag te lezen, leerde ze snel Nederlands. | By reading every day, she learned Dutch quickly. |
| zonder | Zonder iets te zeggen, liep hij weg. | Without saying anything, he walked away. |
| na | Na gegeten te hebben, vertrok ze. | After having eaten, she left. |
Be careful with na. The action is already over, so you need the perfect form: the past participle plus te hebben or te zijn. Pick the same helper verb as in the present perfect.
| Present perfect | Na ... te |
|---|---|
| Ik heb de test gemaakt. | Na de test gemaakt te hebben, ... |
| Ik ben op het perron aangekomen. | Na op het perron aangekomen te zijn, ... |
| Ik ben van de fiets gevallen. | Na van de fiets gevallen te zijn, ... |
| Ik heb in de zee gezwommen. | Na in de zee gezwommen te hebben, ... |
Clauses with a participle
A reduced clause can also start with a participle. The present participle is the full verb plus -d: lachend (laughing), zwaaiend (waving). It shows two things happening at the same time.
- Lachend om de grap, liep hij de trap op.He laughs while he walks.
- Zwaaiend naar de boot, stonden we op de kade.We wave while we stand on the quay.
A past participle shows that something already happened: Gewaarschuwd door de buren, belde hij de politie (warned by the neighbours, he called the police). A reduced clause can also start with an adjective: Bang voor de hond, bleef het kind binnen. That means: afraid of the dog, the child stayed inside. These sentences are formal. You mostly see them in writing.
The trap: who is doing it?
You cannot see the subject of a reduced clause. So the reader takes the subject of the main clause. That subject must be able to do the action. If it cannot, you have a dangling clause. In Dutch this is called a foutieve beknopte bijzin.
Right: same subject
- Na uren gereisd te hebben, wilden de gasten alleen nog slapen. (The guests travelled and wanted to sleep.)
- Verbaasd over de rekening, vroeg de klant om uitleg. (The customer was surprised and asked.)
- Door hard te oefenen, werd zij een goede pianist. (She practised and became a pianist.)
Wrong: the subject does not fit
- Na uren gereisd te hebben, was het hotel ver. (The hotel did not travel.)
- Verbaasd over de rekening, klopte het bedrag niet. (An amount cannot be surprised.)
- Door hard te oefenen, klonk de muziek mooier. (Music does not practise.)
There are two ways to fix a dangling clause. You can turn it into a full clause with its own subject: Toen ik over straat liep, viel mijn tas. Or you can change the main clause so the right subject is in it: Lopend over straat liet ik mijn tas vallen. That means: walking down the street, I dropped my bag.